The Japor Snippet
by RC-1197
Summary: No power in the entire galaxy could exchange what Anakin felt for his family that moment. It was beyond the riches, the power, and the sheer will for control. In that moment of immense happiness, a tremor in the Force was felt by all Force-users. A tremor that was the result of the Force shifting. First AU!
1. A brother's mistake

**Hello readers, this is RC-1197! This story is the result of a plot bunny that refused to go away. So I decided to write this beginning and if enough of you guys like it, I might continue with this story. The events of the entire prequel still happened up until the Mustafar duel. I refuse to give Obi-Wan the idiot ball (look that up in T.V. tropes) since he was such a revered Jedi Master and practically Anakin's brother, so I 'knocked' some sense into him. I hope you guys would enjoy this! May the Force be with You! **

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**The Japor Snippet**

_The galaxy had never experienced a day so bleak. Many things have changed in the span of mere hours. Jedi, the Republic's lightsaber wielding guardians of peace, fell victim to the betrayal of their own troops. Few had managed to slip past the vast numbers of the men who they had once called friends and brothers. Palpatine, the Chancellor of the Republic, had declared the Republic unstable and dissolved the very thing he had promised the public to protect. After twenty millennia, the great Republic, which stood as a beacon of democracy and freedom, died in a furor of applause. _

Obi-Wan Kenobi dreaded what he was about to do. Tracking down his brother had been fairy easy as the Jedi master figured that Padmé Amidala knew of Anakin's whereabouts. Obi-Wan had come to her apartment and was rather shocked when he saw the heavily pregnant senator, as he had suspected that Anakin had more control of his feelings then he would let on. _You knew that it could lead to this, _the small Jedi voice in his mind spoke, _but you didn't do anything. _The Negotiator gritted his teeth in frustration. Why did he let it slip? He was the older one; the wiser one and he had failed to do anything about it. Instead of leading Anakin to the light, he helped Palpatine spiral his brother into the darkness.

_Some Negotiator you are_, Obi-Wan criticized himself as his ship, formerly General Grievous's, entered Mustafar's atmosphere. After Padmé refused to believe that Anakin had turned to the dark side, one of the few options that were available to him was to follow the senator, knowing that Padmé would seek out the truth from Anakin himself. Sneaking on her ship wasn't a good idea as Obi-Wan knew that Anakin would take his presence as an act of betrayal on Padmé's part and he didn't want to risk the only connection that could keep Anakin grounded to who he really was.

So, Kenobi went for a different option, and subsequently forced C-3PO –Anakin's protocol droid– to reveal Anakin's location. The golden plated droid, much to Obi-Wan's luck, had spoken to Anakin's astromech droid and had a recording of Anakin saying where he was going. Mustafar. Not willing to take any chances, Obi-Wan wiped part of the droid's mind to erase the fact that he asked the droid about Anakin.

Padmé kept Anakin human and Obi-Wan wasn't about to destroy that. Force, he had been wrong. Wrong about the code, that Anakin can't have attachments, he should've known. He should've listened even if the words would hurt him and not listen to what he wanted to hear. Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Negotiator of the dead Republic, had never felt so wrong in his entire life.

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**Thanks for reading! I hope Obi-Wan's reasoning made sense as to why he chose a different option than jumping into Padmé's ship. **


	2. Mistrust and Accusations

**Hello readers! Please bear with me with the whole Anakin switching to Vader and back to Anakin thing (it was kinda hard for me to say who exactly was talking). I sadly do not own Star Wars or any of the character. Without further ado, enjoy!**

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_I'm doing this for Padmé, _Anakin reasoned to himself as he observed the dead bodies of the Separatist council. The fallen Jedi strode to a particular council member and loomed over the body. "_Lord Sidious, promised us peace!" The slimy Neimoidian fearfully spoke to Anakin- now Darth Vader. Nute Gunray died moments later. _Anakin and Vader never felt an ounce of pity for that scumbag. Gunray wanted his angel dead and he got what he deserved.

A sudden blare inside the chamber alerted Vader to an incoming ship. Examining a console that had the readout of the ship, the dark lord grimaced. General Grievous. _I guess the old man didn't make sure the bucket of bolts stayed dead. _Vader mused as he headed out of the blast doors with his lightsaber at the ready.

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Darkness. That's what Obi-Wan felt at the pit of his stomach as he neared a landing pad. Molten lava spewed from the lava beds below the platform and offered the Negotiator a metaphoric glimpse of what might transpire between him and his fallen brother. A shadow brought Obi-Wan to the attention of a dark cloaked figure heading towards the ship. The familiar glint of a lightsaber hilt was held in front of the figure.

"General Grievous!" The shadow yelled as it neared. As the figure came closer, Obi-Wan saw golden eyes full of mad power and greed. Right then, the Jedi master was at a loss for words. Seeing Anakin slaughter their Jedi brothers and sisters was one thing, but witnessing the sweet and innocent nine-year old turn into an unrecognizable monster was entirely different.

_Twisted by the dark side, young Skywalker had become. The boy you trained, gone he is, consumed by Darth Vader. _Yoda's words echoed in his mind.

Obi-Wan gave a shaky breath. _Darth Vader or not, Anakin is strong and he _will _defeat this monster controlling him. I know he will. _Mentally preparing himself for the confrontation, he failed to notice the ship's alert of an incoming star skiff. _Or so help me, I will die trying._

"Come out here, you coward! The war is over and you have no army!" Vader taunted at the stationary ship. When the ships canopy rose, Vader expressed shock as Obi-Wan Kenobi came out of the cyborg general's ship. "Obi-Wan?" The initial surprise was swept away and was replaced by unfathomable anger.

"This madness _ends now_," Obi-Wan called out, still maintaining his trademark diplomatic expression. The two were starting to circle each other.

Barely containing the rising rage, Vader sneered, "You should be dead. Along with the rest of the traitorous Jedi Order!"

"What had the Order done to be branded traitors after all of the sacrifices we gave in this war?" Obi-Wan questioned.

"They tried to overthrow the Chancellor and gain the power for themselves," Vader reasoned with venom laced in his voice. "They kept me from protecting the people that I love…_You _prevented me from saving my mother! Her death was your fault!"

Vader's words had cut deep in Obi-Wan. The ugly truth was that it was _true_, from a certain point of view. Obi-Wan had brushed off Anakin's premonitions of his mother dying and told the boy that it would pass in time. "What do you want me to say Anakin? That I shouldn't have told you to ignore the dreams? That you should've gone to Tatooine earlier?"

"You were supposed to let go of attachments Anakin! Keeping attachments can lead you to the dark side and yet you broke the staple rule of the Jedi Code," the Jedi master continued.

Vader sent off waves of frustration that bothered Obi-Wan for a moment. "It's always the code with you! You can't have attachments Anakin, this. Be mindful of your feelings, that. I'm _sick_ of you and your constant criticism! I was never good enough for you!" Vader snarled as he let his cloak fall to the metal ground.

"Anakin —" Obi-Wan started. Anakin's words had _hurt _him.

"Anakin is _dead_, old man. Why can't you see that?" Vader roared, his eyes nearly rivaling the molten color of the Mustafar lava.

"You were fed lies, Anakin, twisted lies engineered to supplement your fall. They were made to make you mistrustful and bitter," Obi-Wan snapped back. Vader refused to listen and looked away from his former master.

"The masters feared me, they said that I was prideful and arrogant, but I saw through their thinly veiled comments. I was _too powerful_. They were holding me back, away from my true potential. They stopped me from fulfilling my true destiny," Vader hissed as he gripped his lightsaber tighter.

Obi-Wan felt horrified and challenged, "And what destiny is that Anakin? Being recorded in history as the betrayer of the Jedi Order? The most feared man in the entire galaxy? What would Padmé think?" Vader flinched at the sound of his wife's name and couldn't contain the seething anger inside him. "What would your mother think?"

"_Shut up!_" Vader snarled as he lunged at Obi-Wan with his azure blade activated in his hand.

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**I'm sorry if you guys felt like this ended in a cliffy. ****I would like to thank all of you for the reviews and they were inspiring enough for me to add this chapter. -RC-1197 **


	3. Heed My Words, Brother

**This is a little shorter than the last chapter, but I'm trying my best to make it as balanced with a little comedy and emotion as possible. (See disclaimer in the second chapter). Enjoy! **

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"I don't see why Master Ani wanted to go to this place. It is absolutely dreadful!" Threepio complained as he managed to land his mistress's ship next to a Separatist ship. The self-preservation module in Threepio's circuitry was in overload as the droid examined the surroundings outside of the ship.

"Oh my," Threepio said with concern as a fiery column of lava shot out from the side of the platform. "Perhaps we should turn back around, milady."

Sitting mute beside him was Padmé Amidala, a high-profile galactic senator out of the usual reaches of the political pedestal. Padmé always had a stubborn streak at not changing her mind because of what someone told her, even if it was from a trusted friend. Thus the reason for this fare to this fiery world.

"_I don't believe you," Padmé said frankly as she still reeled from Obi- Wan's bombshell about Anakin's turn. "I can't." Obi-Wan edged closer to her and kneeled in front of the senator. _

"_Padmé," he said softly. "I must find him." Taking a long look at the Jedi master's eyes, Padmé felt her heart begin to crack. No…no, Obi-Wan wouldn't do it. They're brothers. _

"_You're going to kill him, aren't you?" Padmé accused as she witnessed her old friend's eyes glint with pain. _

"_Anakin has become a very great threat," Obi-Wan seemed to not believe what he was even saying. _

Distant humming of lightsabers clashing brought Padmé back to her current surroundings. "Fight back! You coward, fight back!" A voice thundered through the entire premises. Realizing that the voice came from her husband, Padmé bolted out of her seat, surprisingly fast for someone who was with child.

"Milady?" Threepio called out as he turned around to see his mistress already out of the cockpit door. "Please don't leave me here!"

Swiveling his head towards the transparisteel windows, Threepio spotted a familiar friend rolling to where the golden droid was. "Bless my circuits! Artoo!" The golden droid began to vie for the astromech's attention by waving his hands in the air.

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"Anakin, this isn't you! You are not Vader," Obi-Wan yelled though the sith's endless attack. Refusing to kill his brother without at _least_ _trying _to reason with him, Obi-Wan maintained Form III Soresu, a lightsaber technique designed to fend off aggressive attacks.

"How many times do I have to say it? _Anakin is dead_!" Vader snapped as he let the Dark Side control his movements.

"Listen!" Obi-Wan commanded the younger man as he parried a slash.

"No, you listen!" Vader bit back as his and Obi-Wan's blades locked. "I've been _listening_ for years! It's time that you listen to _me_."

Obi-Wan couldn't believe what he was hearing. _Anakin had been hiding this? _The Negotiator questioned in his mind. _Oh, Anakin… _

"I thought I trained you better than this. Better than to surrender your place in the Jedi to join the Sith. We were a team and are you willing to just let that dissolve into nothing because of the lies Palpatine told?" Obi-Wan pressed, hoping that the question made Anakin rethink what he had done. The Chosen One's sickly yellow eyes began to flicker and give way to the natural blue.

Kenobi honestly thought that he had pulled through to Anakin, but his hope died down as the shifting colors of his irises ceased and turned back to gold.

Forced to take a drastic option to turn Anakin back to the light, Obi-Wan said words that he would've never dreamed of saying to his brother, "If you continue to go down this path, you will become what you were as a child. A _slave_. Is that what you want to happen Anakin? After all those years of training to be who you are, you're just going to throw yourself back to being a slave?"

Anger now consuming his entire being, Vader broke the lightsaber lock as he kicked Obi-Wan square in the chest and sent the older man flying halfway through the landing pad. _How dare he! Comparing my powerful place in the Sith as some kind of slave! _Vader rumbled in disgust as he made his way towards the Jedi master.

Obi-Wan picked himself off of the metal ground. His vision was blurred somewhat as he saw Anakin's form edge closer. Calling his lightsaber, the hilt obediently flew to the Negotiator's hand but he didn't make any motion to activate the blade.

Obi-Wan prepared himself for the dark storm that was Anakin and confessed, "I've failed you, Anakin. I've failed you as a mentor, a friend, and as a _brother_. I'm sorry."

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**Thank you guys for the awesome comments and I do hope you've enjoyed reading this chapter! - RC-1197**


	4. Justification of the Guilty

**Welcome! I would like to thank all of you guys for reviewing and I hope I didn't disappoint you with this chapter! I don't own any Star Wars characters...*sigh* I considered Anakin and Vader to be two different people in here, so you guys can get a glimpse of what Anakin truly felt during the events of Mustafar. I'd recommend playing , "Anakin's Betrayal," while reading this because it gives so much more emotion to the words. Enjoy!**

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"We were all deceived! Don't make the same grave mistake we did before it will become your ruin," Obi-Wan tried to clarify to his brother with his voice slightly cracking. "Can't you see that you aren't yourself? I'm trying to _help_ you!"

"_Help me_?" Vader fumed. "All you've been doing was preventing me from saving the people that I love and driving me apart from—"

The dark lord trailed off as he looked over Obi-Wan's shoulder to see a small figure emerge from the former Separatist command center. Pure shock filled Vader and replaced the being full of hatred with the kind and loving husband of Padmé Amidala- _Anakin Skywalker._

That was when it finally hit Obi-Wan. The only person who can stop Anakin's rampage was the person he was deeply attached to.

...It meant that the code or the interpretation of the code was _wrong_. All those years of fearing attachment was in vain. Time seemed to have slowed for Obi-Wan as he began to listen to what the Force had been trying to tell him all along.

Deactivating his blade, Anakin stumbled away from Obi-Wan. "Padmé?" Anakin croaked, his voice very hoarse and rough.

Rushing over to his wife, Anakin was halfway to her when he heard Obi-Wan warn, "Stay back, Padmé, he's dangerous." Anakin ignored his former master as he reached closer and Vader was kept silent in his mind.

"Angel, what are you doing here? I told you to stay at the apartment," Anakin's soft voice was a stark contrast to Vader's bitter scorn. Hatred and anger began to ebb away from the Chosen One as he looked into his beloved's eyes.

"I've come to seek the truth for myself," Padmé answered. "Anakin…is what Obi-Wan told me about you killing younglings true?"

Anakin was stunned. "Padmé," he began.

"The _truth, _Anakin. _Please_," Padmé begged her husband.

"They…they were traitors to the Republic," Anakin defended himself and felt his heart clench at the sight of his angel's soft features turn into a mask of horror. "It had to be done."

Teary eyed at the shock that her husband was able to commit the crime, Padmé shook her head, "They were _younglings_, Anakin. _Younglings_. How could you do that to them?"

Flashes of the younglings came to Anakin's mind, but instead of the various species and faces, blue-eyed and brown-eyed boys and girls with blond or brown hair replaced the younglings. Shaking away the thought, Anakin began to subconsciously question himself, but Vader refused to let Anakin know that.

"I had no choice..." Anakin trailed off, feeling overwhelming guilt wash over his body.

"You _do_ have a choice Anakin," Padmé corrected him. "You _always had_."

Anakin couldn't bear to look at Padmé and just looked away.

"Obi-Wan was right…you've changed," Padmé began to step away from Anakin as he snapped his head to her direction. _Obi-Wan! _Vader hissed in Anakin's mind. _No, no, no, please Padmé. Don't do this to me. _Anakin pleaded, almost drowning out Vader's cries about Obi-Wan.

"I've changed for the better," Anakin attempted to justify his actions. "I've brought peace and integrity to the galaxy."

Disagreeing with her husband, Padmé trembled, "No, you've become worse. You aren't my husband."

Anakin barely registered the words when Vader took over, driven by pain at Padmé's accusation. Blinded by the Dark Side's grasp, Vader brought up his prosthetic hand and began to curl it into a ghost chokehold. Padmé bought her hands to her throat, trying to remove the ghostly hand on her neck.

Obi-wan, who was still recovering from the attack Vader brought forth, shouted, "Anakin! NO! Remember who you are!"

Drawing what strength he could muster, Obi-Wan charged at his brother, his resolve strengthening to new levels, as the Jedi master knew what could turn Anakin back to himself.

In that moment with Obi-Wan rushing towards him and Padmé choking, Anakin felt time slow for him as well. He wasn't in his body anymore and saw _someone_ _else_ controlling his actions. _Remember who you are!_ Those words kept ringing in Anakin's mind.

_Don't listen to him! _ Vader whispered. _If you show weakness, he will kill you._

_I know Obi-Wan and he wouldn't do it. _Anakin retorted. _I can't kill him._

_But he has betrayed you. Turned Padmé against you and made her mistrustful. _Vader alleged.

_**Remember who you are!**_

_Who I am? _Anakin questioned. _I'm Anakin—_

_No! You are Darth Vader, dark lord of the Sith. The most powerful Sith lord of all time! _Vader snapped. _Anakin is weak, while we stand strong. The pitiful Jedi Skywalker was torn by…love. Pathetic! _

_That's not true. _Anakin responded, feeling confused and lost. _I…_

Anakin was at war with himself as he wrestled with the Dark Side. The Chosen One looked at his former master and saw determination and heartbroken sorrow in his eyes. Even though he was still separated from his body, Anakin felt the Force swirling around him like never before and as his eyes rested on his brother, one emotion stood out from the grief and pain. Love. _He…Obi-Wan cares. _

_Lies!_ Vader hissed.

Glancing at Padmé, he felt horror taking over him. There she was, his angel choking by his –Vader's hand. Fear filled his beloved's eyes. _Padmé. Force, what am I doing_?

_They deserved it! For turning their backs on you when you needed them most! _Vader roared in anger.

_This is not what I wanted. _Anakin murmured as he settled his gaze on a small pendant that was resting on Padmé's chest. _I wanted- no, needed to save her...not kill her._

_**Remember who you are!**__  
_

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**I do hope that you've enjoyed this chapter. This is my first time writing Anakin verbally dueling with Vader. Until next time! -RC-1197**


	5. A Slave's Trinket

**Hello! This chapter is mainly a flashback of two Phantom Menace scenes, except that I tweaked some of the emotions that Anakin and Padmé portrayed and hopefully improved on that. For all you haters of Jar Jar, he is in here, but its like a brief cameo. I tried to keep the detail and dialogue as accurate as possible in both the book and movie, so don't kill me because Jar Jar was here. =D**

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"_Are you an Angel?" Nine-year-old Anakin Skywalker couldn't help but ask. It was an honest question really, as the boy had not yet experienced the taint of the Dark Side. A beautiful young girl that was looking around the shop, looked at him, her features surprised at the question. _

"_What?" A soft smile rose from her lips as the word slipped out her mouth. Anakin couldn't respond for a split second; captivated by the angel he was looking at._

"_An angel," Anakin repeated with more tenacity. "I heard the deep space pilots talking about them." The girl's smile grew as she took a step closer to him. _

"_They say that they are the most beautiful creatures in the universe," Anakin continued, pleased with himself that she actually _noticed_ him. "They live on the moons of Iego, I think." _

_Offering the girl a sheepish shrug, Anakin continued to clean a small transmitter cell with a tattered rag. "You're a funny little boy…" He heard the girl say with a slight chuckle at the end of her sentence. A few minutes passed and the two exchanged a few words. _

"_Have you been here long?" The dark-haired girl questioned as she let her eyes wander around the junk shop, as if she had never been in one before. Anakin continued to gaze at the mysterious girl, seeming to forget that the transmitted cell was still in his hand. _

"_Since I was very little —three, I think. My mom and I were sold to Gardulla the Hutt, but she lost us to Watto, betting on the pod races," Anakin answered truthfully, making no attempt at hiding the fact that he was a slave. _

"_You're a slave?" The girl looked at him in shock, refusing to believe what she had just heard. _

_It was Anakin's turn to respond as he scrunched his eyebrows together to form a scowl. "I'm a person and my name is _Anakin_." _

_Anakin…Anakin…Anakin, his name was chanted over and over again. _

When Anakin saw the japor necklace, he had been taken to his memories for a reason he didn't know at the moment. Still disembodied, the Chosen One saw the whole scene like a ghost; neither the younger version of Padmé nor the younger version of himself seemed to acknowledge his presence, even when he was standing right beside them.

The scene that remained close to Anakin's heart, changed in front of the Chosen One as it dissolved right before his very eyes. He was in the Naboo royal starship now; there was no mistake in his recollection of the interior as he perfectly remembered the design of the main hold and the royal insignia plastered next to a tech station.

_Huddled in a small corner was the younger Anakin, his body quivering from the cold. Jar Jar was sleeping in front of him with his legs propped on a circular table, obviously tired from being under the intensity of Tatooine's twin suns. Small chattering sounds were made, as nine-year-old Anakin still had to adjust to the coldness of space._

_**I had nothing but the clothes on my back**__, the older Anakin quietly mused as he saw Padmé- this time dressed in the red and orange robes of a handmaiden, enter the hold. Anakin continued to watch Padmé as she activated a small holo that sprang to life._

_Sio Bibble's blue hologram appeared as the advisor spoke, "The death toll is catastrophic. We _must _bow to their wishes. You _must _contact me." His hologram flickered before the transmission ended. Giving a barely audible sigh, Padmé heard young Anakin's teeth chattering together and turned her head to her left. _

"_You alright?" Padmé expressed her concern at seeing him shivering. _

"_It's very cold," Anakin responded, which prompted Padmé to attain a small blanket to give to the boy. _

"_You've come from a warm planet, Ani…a little too warm for my taste," Padmé explained as she draped the red blanket over Anakin's small frame and softly smiled. "Space is cold." Padmé then proceeded to explain her distress about Naboo's fate under the Trade Federation's rule._

_Breaking the tension after Padmé stopped talking, Anakin brought out a small necklace and said, "I made this for you. So you'd remember me." Padmé glanced at the simple trinket. "I carved it out of a japor snippet. It will bring you good fortune." _

_Older Anakin remembered those words clearly. Good fortune…Good fortune. _

"Good fortune?" A dark voice behind older Anakin, mocked. The location suddenly changed and dissolved into nothing, leaving a dark void surrounding Anakin. "You rest your wife's fate on a trinket?"

Anakin scanned through the darkness, until his blue eyes settled on a Sith's golden ones. "What do you want from me?"

"You," Vader answered as his eyes burned with hatred.

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**Again, thank you guys sooooo much for reviewing and it means a lot to me that you guys like it! -RC-1197**


	6. Fear's Insanity

**Disclaimer is in the second chapter. Enjoy!**

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"What is love next to power?" Darth Vader whispered to Anakin in an attempt to complete his turn. "People will listen to you! Power is everything."

"What you committed...was unspeakable. Many died because of it. Many died because of _you_!" Anakin countered, finally realizing where he had gone wrong. Vader laughed coldly, unaffected by Anakin's words. "I let you control me, but not anymore."

"Power corrupts everything it touches. Only the few who are worthy of bearing it aren't affected," the Chosen One continued, letting his frustration and anger fade away into nothing. "Power _lies_, Vader. They deceive and goad you into believing that it is what you want, when the only thing you need is _trust_. I've been lied to all my life, from the Jedi Council to the Chancellor. I know now that my mistake was not trusting the man I called my brother and an angel who is my wife."

"Fool! Do you think that they would just graciously welcome you with open arms after the damage you caused to them?" Vader sneered.

"That man will never return. You've made me mistrustful and arrogant when I shouldn't be and fooled me into thinking that you were the only way to achieving what I wanted, but no more lies," Anakin answered as he saw fury dominate Vader's expression. "I've been blinded by greed to save Padme and frustrated over gaining more power, that I let a monster take over my body."

"A monster that can lead you to greatness," Vader added as he activated his red blade. "Join me, Anakin. This is your last chance."

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_I hope Anakin doesn't kill me for cutting off his arm, _Obi-Wan laughed to himself as he looked at Anakin's unconscious form. Everything happened in a blur, that Obi-Wan did what the Jedi taught him to do, act to the situation in front of him. In a split second, as the Negotiator was about to sever the arm that was strangling Padmé, he saw Anakin's expression change. In that moment, Obi-Wan knew that Anakin was fighting back, fighting for control.

But Vader was still controlling his arm and forced Obi-Wan to dismember it. As the mechno-arm, dropped to the metal platform, it released its grip on Padmé. Gasping, Padmé was held up by the Jedi master and was helped sit down. She was still conscious. "Obi-Wan," Padmé started as she looked at Anakin. "What's happening to him?"

"Being stubborn as always," Obi-Wan answered with a small smile cracking his tired features. "He's fighting back Vader."

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Skywalker didn't make any motion to accept Vader's offer.

"…I see that you are too stubborn to complete your transformation to me. However, you must know that any attempt to kill me would not work. I _live_ off your fears, Anakin. I know your _weakness_, you can't defeat me," Vader continued to gloat.

The Chosen One stood his ground as he put a hand on his lightsaber hilt that was hanging loosely on his belt. "I'd rather die than see myself turn into an insane monster."

"As you wish, _Anakin_," Vader mocked. Anakin looked at Vader calmly, breathing in and out. Beings that fought for control of the physical body's fate, stood at the ready. Vader made the first move.

With a feral snarl of desperation, Vader called on the Dark Side and fueled his drive to kill his counterpart. Anakin just stood exactly where he was, his mind having banished all thoughts of failure and fear. It took about eight strides to reach each other and as Vader took a stride, a voice would speak up to aid Vader into instilling fear.

First stride. _You're not all powerful, Ani._

Second stride. _I'm not the Jedi I should be. I want more._

Third stride._ You can't stop change any more than you can stop the suns from setting._

Fourth stride. _I killed them. I killed them all. They're dead, every single one of them. And not just the men, but the women and the children, too._

Fifth stride._ I wasn't strong enough to save you mom._

Sixth stride. _Your mother's dead, son. Accept it._

Seventh stride. _You define your guilt._

Eighth stride._ I can't do it, Mom. I just can't do it._

None of the voices succeeded into unhinging Anakin from his resolve. Instead, it helped Anakin see his flaws and accept that they defined who he was. As Vader raised his red blade to strike, Anakin moved.

Moving faster than the Sith, he unhooked the lightsaber while in motion and activated the blade. Impaling Darth Vader in the chest with a swift and decisive strike. Vader's lightsaber fell to the ground and deactivated as it clanged on the flooring. Anakin looked at Vader's yellow eyes, seeing the shock in them.

"_Weak_," Vader whispered as he took his final breath. Anakin deactivated his lightsaber and let Vader fall to the ground. The Chosen One watched as the darkness consumed Vader whole until his body was gone. It was over.

Darth Vader, the living embodiment of fear, is _dead._

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**You guys are awesome! 34 reviews! Thank You! -RC-1197**


	7. Brothers Forged in Hell

**I do not own Star Wars or any character. :( This is meant to be a breather compared to the other chapters. Enjoy!**

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"Stop that!" Threepio ordered his astromech counterpart as the little droid poked their unconscious master with one of his retractable arms. "Master Ani wouldn't be too happy with you if you continue that."

Artoo-Detoo ignored his golden plated friend and continued attempting to wake up Anakin from his current state. Threepio proceeded to throw up his arms as a sign of annoyance. The little astromech droid tweeted.

"Well of course I want him to wake up," Threepio answered. Artoo whistled a question.

"What kind of a question is that?" Threepio retorted, clearly annoyed. "I _am _sure."

Amused with the two droids, Obi-Wan let the two prolong their banter and tended to Padmé. "How did you find Anakin?" Padmé tried to make the time pass as they waited for Anakin to come around. The two were sitting on the top part of the ramp of the senator's star skiff and had the droids watch over Anakin, who was within Obi-Wan's line of sight. Padmé refused to board the ship until she knew that Anakin was alright and compromised with Obi-Wan to wait at the entrance of her ship.

Obi-Wan offered the senator a smirk as he looked at Anakin's unconscious form. "It wasn't too hard actually, Anakin's emotions were like a bright beacon in the Force…and Threepio gave up his location."

"Threepio?" Padmé tried to mask her initial surprise. Obi-Wan was about to respond when they both heard a groan coming from where the two droids were. Padmé tried to stand up, but Obi-Wan held a cautious hand and motioned her to remain seated. Even when he saw his brother return, Obi-Wan didn't want to be too careless and approached slowly.

"Anakin?" The Negotiator called out his brother's name. "Anakin?"

Nothing.

By this time, Threepio backed away from Anakin and let Obi-Wan edge closer. Artoo was still jabbing his master lightly. _That little droid doesn't know when to give up, does he?_ Obi-Wan thought.

"No loose wire jokes, Obi-Wan. I thought we've talked about that," a low whisper chided. It felt as if the entire weight of the galaxy was lifted off Obi-Wan's shoulders from the moment Anakin started to talk.

"That wasn't a loose wire joke, brother. It was a compliment," Obi-Wan softly retorted as he watched Anakin's eyes open. Relieved that the sickly yellow irises turned back to the familiar blue, Obi-Wan offered an extended hand to Anakin.

The Chosen One gratefully took the offer and was helped up. Clapping the younger man's back in assurance, Obi-Wan said, "It's great to have you back. I honestly thought that you and your stubbornness would be the death of me, but I'm glad to know that I was wrong. Completely and utterly wrong."

"Well that's a first, the great Obi-Wan Kenobi saying that he was; and I quote, 'Completely and utterly wrong.'" Anakin playfully jibed as he watched his brother raise an eyebrow.

"I take it that I now owe you eight times for saving me?" Obi-Wan chuckled, elated that Anakin brushed off what happened between them earlier.

"_Nine _times, and don't say that the incident on Cato Neimiodia didn't count," Anakin corrected and felt that something was missing. "Obi-Wan?"

"Yes Anakin?" Obi-Wan answered to his name.

"Where's my arm?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure its lying around," Obi-Wan whistled, pretending to be oblivious.

* * *

"Anakin!" Padmé felt her heart soar to the heavens as she saw her husband walking towards her. Before the senator could start walking towards him, Anakin took several long strides to reach her and hugged her. He took a moment and spun her around like their reunion in the Senate where she told him the most wonderful news he had never expected.

Obi-Wan maintained a respectful distance and let the couple have their small moment.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, Padmé," Anakin whispered to his beloved angel. His replacement arm was reassuring as it wrapped around Padmé's waist. Padmé shushed him and held him tighter. "Thank you."

"For what?" Padmé asked.

"For believing in me even after all of those things I -Vader committed," Anakin answered, as he began to lead her into the ship. Obi-Wan followed, thinking that disobeying Yoda's orders to kill Anakin was one of the best decisions he made in his entire life.

* * *

With Padmé now resting in one of the cabins, Threepio and Artoo safely placed in the main hold, Anakin and Obi-Wan were in the cockpit preparing to take off. Silence dominated the the cockpit, save for the usual clicks of buttons and pre-flight checks. Anakin was about to liftoff, when Obi-Wan stopped him.

"Palpatine will know something went wrong when he finds out that you've disappeared," Obi-Wan expressed his concern.

"Don't worry, old man," Anakin brushed off. "I already saw that coming and while you were getting the droids onboard, I rigged the entire facility to explode and fall into the lava river. So there would be no evidence of your presence or Padmé's presence."

"And how does that plan explain how you disappeared?" Obi-Wan questioned.

"It doesn't. The plan would just give us enough time to hide from Palpatine and figure something out later," Anakin answered as he piloted the skiff into the atmosphere. As the skiff left the Separatist base, the last remnant of the faction that tore the Republic into chaos, exploded in a mighty fire and collapsed into lava rivers below the facility.

_Why is it that the majority of Anakin's plans would involve something blowing up? _Obi-Wan shook his head as he watched the facility flash bright orange and red. _Oh, I may never know__._

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_Hyperspace_

"Obi-Wan," Anakin started, hesitating. The duo was still in the cockpit, keeping a close eye on the ship's condition and time until they drop out of hyperspace.

"Yes, Anakin?" Obi-Wan looked at his brother, pretty sure what he was about to say.

"I'm sorry," the younger man apologized, leaving Obi-Wan surprised with his mouth slightly agape.

"Come again?" The Negotiator asked again.

"I'm sorry," Anakin repeated, distracting himself by examining the ship's status updates. "It's my fault that we got into this mess and I'm sorry for the things I said earlier."

Obi-Wan placed a reassuring hand on Anakin's shoulder. "I must admit that it is also my fault. I thought I could train you as well as Qui-Gon, but I was mistaken. I should've listened to you more often, Anakin, and guided you to understanding, not confusion."

Anakin softly smiled, one free of his wild nature. "I guess we both are at faults."

The Chosen One breathed in a deeply. "Why don't we start over? Everything that happened would be water under the bridge." Offering a handshake to his longtime friend, mentor, and brother; Anakin introduced himself. "I'm Anakin Skywalker."

Feeling touched by his brother's suggestion, Obi-Wan reached for Anakin's hand and shook it. "Obi-Wan Kenobi. It's nice to meet you, Anakin."

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**I never imagined to get this much reviews! I would like to thank all of the reviewers! -RC-1197**


	8. Musings of a Mad Man

**As opposed to the last chapter, where it was very light and comedic, this is rather dark. Delving into Palpatine's mind was rather…unsettling. I hope I grasped how mad the Emperor truly was and how calculating he could be...**_  
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_Isn't it curious that one can have all the power and control in the universe and yet…have your most prized possession slip through your fingers? _Chancellor Palpatine_- _now_ Emperor _Palpatine bitterly thought to himself.

The aged Sith lord, perhaps the last in the galaxy, observed his sweltering surroundings with disdain. Darth Vader, his latest and most powerful apprentice he had turned, abandoned Palpatine. _I should have disposed of his wretched master when I had the chance,_ Palpatine resentfully contemplated. _Kenobi is serving to be more of a nuisance than a useful tool._

Mustafar's atmosphere was mirroring Palpatine's foul mood. Red and orange lava portrayed the seething anger within the Emperor and the black sky was the regrets of his mistake. Mas Amedda, the Emperor's closest Chagrian advisor, approached Palpatine from behind. "The clones are searching every inch in this planet for the base, milord."

"Tell me, Amedda, who would you be more cautious of? The bureaucrats in the senate or the common man?" Palpatine suddenly questioned the former Vice Chair.

"Milord?" Amedda looked at the Emperor with mild surprise. "Well, I would be more fearful of the bureaucrats, milord."

"And why is that?" Palpatine wondered as he spotted a clone trooper disappear into the black gravel a few meters ahead.

"The senators have more power and influence than the common man, if that's the question you were looking for, sir." The Vice Chair voiced his opinion.

Palpatine pondered on the Vice Chair's answer before replying, "I'm afraid we are at odds. You see, the senators may have the power and influence to sway many minds to their reasonings...but the will of a single man can do much more than what a senator can. The bureaucrats have to adhere to their people's wants and needs, while the common man only has to keep his resolve and the people will just follow."

"I understand, your majesty." Amedda compliantly answered. Palpatine sighed, Kenobi and young Skywalker weren't bureaucrats that needed to vie for the public's support. Instead, they were the Republic's most famous Jedi duo which makes them even more dangerous and influential to the dissidents of the Empire.

_Years_ of planning and nearly two _decades_ of executing his plan, Palpatine was very careful to set all of the pieces in their correct positions, and yet the whole plan could possibly backfire on him in the slightest mistake or unforeseen circumstance. Yes, he had succeeded to take control of the Republic and dissolve it into a Galactic Empire, but how does one control it without its most feared enforcer?

"Sir, there is no sign of the base," Commander Thire of the Coruscant Clone Guard reported in his usual stand in attention. "It's like it disappeared, sir. Shall I call off the the search?"

Emperor Palpatine let the anger gush through him as he knew that correcting his miscalculation would cost him. In the wake of the execution of the entire Jedi Order, Palpatine knew that Kenobi had survived since his clone commander had no body to report and take into account. The Emperor had spies _everywhere_ to keep a tab on every potential enemy. He _knew_ that the Jedi master visited the senator from Naboo and made no motion to arrest him.

Palpatine had far greater things in mind than simply capturing Kenobi.

Knowing that Anakin's resentment toward his former master would prove to be hostile, Palpatine allowed the Negotiator to follow Anakin's trail. What he _hadn't_ foreseen would be that Kenobi had actually _succeeded_ into turning Anakin back to the light. Now that mistake had forced Palpatine to take two steps back in his plan. Palpatine was the chess master and Kenobi had bested him in his own game.

_No matter, _Palpatine thought to himself, _I still have control of more pieces than Kenobi would anticipate. This is my game, Master Kenobi. I _always _win._

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**Whew! I thought I would never finish this… This is the very first time I've written about Palpatine's thoughts and feelings. He is more frightening than Vader in a fit of rage! I really appreciated the reviews! -RC-1197**


	9. A Brother's Heart

**I apologize for this being a little late, but I hope this chapter would make you laugh with Obi-Wan and his awkward situation. **

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A planet, adorned with lush green continents and bodies of water, appeared in the viewport of a J-type star skiff. The chrome-plated skiff orbited the planet dotted with rolling plains, forests, jungles, deserts, grasslands, and almost every type of terrain a type 1 atmosphere could contain.

Anakin Skywalker, the Hero of the Clone Wars, observed the planet with weary eyes. His body ached from the lack of a comfortable sleeping position, having spent the entire trip on the pilot's chair. The Chosen One figured that a series of micro jumps would throw off the scent of the ship''s location from the newly christened Empire.

The entrance to the cockpit door hissed open and Anakin didn't need to know who it was. "I must be dreaming because I see—" A clipped Coruscanti accent spoke in disbelief before being cut off.

"Mandalore?" Anakin finished with a smirk as he piloted the ship into the planet's atmosphere. Clouds dissipated as it hit the viewport unceremoniously. "I figured that this certain planet would help aid us into hiding."

"Anakin," Obi-Wan cautiously spoke as he sat in the co-pilot's seat. "This planet is swarmed with anti-Jedi sentiment. No one in the right mind would want to risk setting _foot_ on this planet while calling themselves Jedi. Even in the _pacifist_ cities."

"Well," Anakin sighed as he navigated through the thick clouds. "_Neither _of us are in the position to have a _right_ mind. Besides, we're headed to the capitol."

"I do hope you mean Sundari," mumbled the Negotiator. As if on cue, the familiar matte-black dome appeared as a tiny speck on the center of the viewport. Forced to watch, Obi-Wan looked at his brother in annoyance and noticed a small glint in his eye. Kenobi studied the glint for a moment before coming to a conclusion. "We're meeting up with _her, _aren't we?"

The younger man kept silent until a few minutes later. "Obi-Wan, we need help to disappear. _Powerful _help, I might add, and she's the only one that we could trust at the moment."

"Why couldn't you have picked Senator Organa?" Obi-Wan retorted, feeling his heart beat faster than normal.

"Too obvious, he worked closely with Padmé and it would make sense that Bail would be one of the first suspects in our disappearance," Anakin answered as he activated the ship's hailing transmitter.

"What about the senator from Chandrila?" Obi-Wan countered as he saw a cargo ship zip past the skiff on their right flank.

"Mon Mothma? She's likely to become a suspect as well. She's one of the leaders of the Delegation of Two Thousand and from what I heard, the Emperor's rounding all of them up," Anakin responded to Obi-Wan before he started to speak to the control tower. "This is the _Angel's Wings_ requesting to land on docking bay one-six-two."

The intercom buzzed for a moment before a static answer came, "_State your…bzzrt…business here. If you fail to…bzzrt...do so, you and your ship…bzzrt...will be detained."_

"They sound friendly," Obi-Wan quipped.

Anakin shot a glance at Obi-Wan and rolled his eyes before speaking to the intercom. "We're merely here for a stop over for fuel and supplies."

_"Bzzzzrt_…_Angel's Wings…bzzrrt…you are…bzzrt…repeat…bzzrt…you are cleared," _Control answered. The skiff slowly made its way to the private docking bay where a single speeder lay hidden in the shadows caused by the massive buildings surrounding it.

Anakin settled the ship on its dampers and Obi-Wan could only look at the mysterious hooded being that was standing beside the speeder. "I'm going to check on Padmé," Anakin said as he stood up from his seat.

"Wait, Anakin—" Obi-Wan began as he shifted uncomfortably on his seat.

"Relax," Anakin stopped the older man from speaking. "It'll only be a minute, now go say hi."

Before Obi-Wan could say any more, Anakin bolted out of the room, leaving the Jedi master alone. Gritting his teeth, Obi-Wan took a breath before keying in the code to lower the ramp. Taking his cloak that rested on the co-pilot's headrest, Obi-Wan drew up his hood and walked out of the cockpit, promising to wring Anakin's neck after the meeting for leaving him _alone_.

_I swear_, _he's making up excuses just to leave me hanging like this_. Obi-Wan mused as he made his way to the ramp. As Obi-Wan walked down the ramp, the hooded being came closer to where the Negotiator was and met him halfway between the speeder and the ship. The two stood in silence, waiting for the other to talk.

"It's good to see you, Master Kenobi," the being greeted in a diplomatic voice that seemed to challenge the Jedi master to talk.

"Indeed. As with you," Obi-Wan fumbled with his words. "I assume that Anakin had informed you with our, er, current _situation_?"

"Yes, from the reports I've been hearing, it's like a miracle that you've survived," the being responded with joy weaved in her words. Obi-Wan signaled the being to follow him into the safety of the ship and when they were away from any prying eyes, Obi-Wan pulled off his hood and so did the being.

Staring for a moment, Obi-Wan finally said, "It really is good to see you, Duchess."

Duchess Satine Kryze held up a hand and corrected, "Please, Obi-Wan, call me Satine."

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**I was thinking where Anakin and Obi-Wan would go and Mandalore just popped in my head. So far, I haven't seen any fics that showed the duo escaping to Mandalore after the events of Order 66. I love your reviews and they help me keep writing! Thank You! -RC-1197 **


	10. In a City of Hostiles

**I do not own Star Wars… Enjoy!**

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"You left Obi-wan alone?" Padmé questioned Anakin with her eyes wide.

"Only to check on you, love," Anakin responded with the cheekiest smile he could muster when as he sat on the edge of Padmé's bed. The senator rolled her eyes as she sat upright.

"Always the enchanter," Padmé accused her husband as a smile began to grow on her features. "So let me get this straight, Obi-Wan and Satine had a brief romantic relationship?" She couldn't believe that Obi-Wan was involved with the Duchess in the first place.

"That is correct," Anakin confirmed.

"Well we don't want to keep them waiting," Padmé threw the covers off and began to make her way to the door. Anakin helped Padmé waddle off of her bed and trailed behind her to let his mind wander off to the imagination of Obi-Wan actually _in love_.

* * *

"Satine!" Padmé cheerfully greeted the Mandalorian diplomat with a bright smile. The duchess was seated on the main hold's couch with her hands neatly folded on her lap. Sitting right beside her, with a small telltale sign of his slight discomfort, was Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"Padmé, oh I'm so glad that you're alright and safe," Duchess Satine exhaled a greeting of relief. The duchess however, couldn't keep her gaze from wandering to her colleague's large stomach. "My, I didn't know that you are—"

"Pregnant?" Padmé finished as she gave a look at Anakin. "I was under the impression that Anakin told you about my pregnancy."

Three pairs of eyes stared at the Chosen one. "I might've neglected some tidbits of information," Anakin looked away, scratching the back of his head. No one seemed convinced by his claim, so he started, "Anyways, we need you help to disappear."

Satine nodded and produced a datapad from within her cloak. Activating the power button, the screen came to life and she handed the device to Anakin. "This," Anakin glanced at the datapad as Satine explained, "is a list of places here on Mandalore that you can blend into with the right disguises and possibly settle in for the time being."

Scrolling through the names of cities and town, Anakin noticed a particular name that felt…_right_. "Where's the town of Enceri located?" Anakin asked the duchess.

"Enceri," Satine repeated. "As I recall, the town's located on the northern hemisphere. A trading post settlement for nearby communities and it's fairly remote, even in Mandalorian terms."

"That place sounds perfect," Obi-Wan spoke for the first time since Anakin and Padmé's arrival. "Judging by its small size and remote location, it'll be easy to be under the Empire's radar." Anakin nodded in approval and handed the datapad to Padmé. Amidala examined the information.

"It sounds almost too good to be true," Padmé spoke out her doubt about the location, worried about being found.

"To tell you the truth, Enceri isn't exactly…kind to the Jedi Order," Satine explained to the trio, two of them Jedi themselves. "Which means that the way you are all dressing up as, needs to go."

Glancing at each other, Obi-Wan and Anakin realized that they were still in their Jedi robes. Pretty sure what they had to do now, they were about to ask Satine where they could acquire the…_proper_ attire to blend into the town of Enceri when the duchess held up a hand.

"Say no more, gentlemen. I have something that you could wear," Satine answered as Obi-Wan and Anakin exchanged looks.

* * *

"I feel like a walking armory," Anakin complained as he walked around the main hold with his new Mandalorian armor called _beskar'gam_.

"Come now Anakin, it's not as bad as you think," Obi-Wan defended as he moved in his own armor to get used to the feel. "Besides, the black and blue color looks good on you."

Anakin shot a glare at Obi-Wan and mocked, "Ha ha, very funny old man. At least I'm not in armor painted in _sparkling_ gold."

The Negotiator raised an annoyed eyebrow before Padmé broke up the banter. "You two are grown _men_. Not _children_. And Anakin," Padmé looked at her husband with a mischievous smirk. "The black and blue really _does_ look good on you."

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**Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews! -RC-1197**


	11. The Vheh'yaim

**I don't own Star Wars… ****I hope you guys will enjoy this chapter… :D**

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True to its description, the Mandalorian town of Enceri didn't look too appealing to the eye. It was simple, to say the least, as a marketplace dominated the majority of the town and the only landmark was a grain silo located around its seams.

"This is the perfect backdrop to disappear to," Anakin spoke to himself as he observed the town through his macrobinoculars. Obi-Wan Kenobi, dressed in the typical attire of a mandalorian warrior, stood next to the Hero with No Fear and looked out into the distance. Holding his sandy-gold helmet tucked neatly under his arm, Obi-Wan gripped his now _bare_ chin, having shaved off his beard for the time being.

Obi-Wan frowned at his brother as he mumbled, "I still can't believe that you got me to shave my beard." Anakin had took precautions himself and had gotten his wavy brown/blonde hair cropped to a crewcut that some clones sported during the war.

"It was a necessary action. I can't have you walking around the town with the recognizable style that _practically_ _screamed_ Obi-Wan Kenobi," Anakin answered as he stopped looking through the binoculars and placed the device in the speeder's glove compartment of their acquired vehicle. Jumping into the driver's seat, Anakin looked at his former master and beckoned him to get inside the speeder. "Let's get a move on old man. At this rate, Padmé and the duchess would've beaten us to the rendezvous location."

The Negotiator shook his head at his brother as he made his way to the passenger seat. "Can't you stay in one place for even a single _moment_?"

Anakin got the speeder to activate and watched as Obi-Wan got on. "Now where's the fun in that?" With his last word still hanging fresh in the air, the Chosen One pressed on the accelerator and the speeder sped off, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake.

* * *

_This is our home__. _Padmé thought to herself as she stood in front of a dome shaped dwelling that looked like it was constructed from woven vines and some kind of green wood to act as the wall. The cloaked senator had only known about the New Mandalorian's culture and homestyle when she visited the cubed city of Sundari, but it had not informed her of the homes of the _warrior clans_. The home was about a klick west from the town, so it was fairly close to gather any supplies they needed and to listen in for some valuable information that might come their way.

Standing along side her were her two faithful droids, Threepio and Artoo-Detoo. The golden plated protocol droid surveyed his surroundings curiously, while the astromech droid seemed to scan for any threats that might attack the small group.

Duchess Satine, dressed in a simple green robe with her hood drawn, glanced at Padmé as she came closer to her. "The people here call this a _vheh'yaim. _It's common around here, so you wouldn't raise too many questions. Although, you will have to establish the fact that you will take up residence here and have the clans aware of your presence. The locals don't take too kindly to strangers with muddled pasts."

"Don't take too kindly?" Threepio spoke as fearful as a droid could make it, his concern evident by his constant shuffling and the grinds of his servomotors creating rusty noise.

Padmé heard the duchess and Threepio, but was unable to speak for a moment, still in a daze as everything was still trying to catch up with her. Taking note of her colleague's expression, the duchess quickly added, "I took the liberty of adding other precautions to the home and had it reinforced with durasteel plating within the walls to make it shielded against blaster bolts. A small armory had been made underneath a small hatch in the living room in case of any unwanted visitors deciding to knock on the front door with weapons."

The sound of an incoming speeder caught both of the women's attentions as they snapped their heads to the direction the sound. Sure enough, with dust flanking both sides of the dirt covered speeder, Anakin looked like he was having the time of his life. Obi-Wan was a different story however, his complexion was ghostly pale as he clutched on his helmet for dear life. "_Never. Do. That. Again,_" Obi-Wan said between his teeth as he looked petrified when he jumped out of the speeder as it came to a stop.

"That was called driving," Anakin defended a matter-a-factly before stepping out of the speeder.

Obi-Wan shot a glare at Anakin and retorted, "Call it what you may, but _I_ call it _suicide_."

The younger man made his way to Padmé before turning back around to face his former master and calmly responded, "I got you here in one piece, didn't I?"

Clearing her throat, Satine called for the two men's attention and indicated to the home in front of them. "I've made modifications to the home as per instructions with a hidden speeder garage for a quick get-away, as well as a defensive position on the top of the dome which is accessible by stairs in the living room." Taking the first stride, the group of two Jedi, two droids, and a galactic senator followed the duchess into the home.

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**Whoa! 65 reviews! I would like to thank the readers, reviewers, and followers for your wonderful support!- RC-1197**


	12. Submission of the Senate

**I hope you won't think of the Senate as some boring government body after my take on this matter... Enjoy! **

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Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan could only watch as the last fragile ties of the Republic, crumble before his very eyes._ Vote for Palpatine. Vote for the Empire. Make Mon Mothma vote for him, too. Be good little senators. Mind your manners and keep your heads down. _The voice of Padmé Amidala cautioned his mind.

Heeding his colleague's words, Bail remained seated in his pod, joining the applause the senate had erupted into after the Emperor's speech. The Prince Consort gave a quick glance at a nearby pod and found it empty. _Where are you, Padmé? _He asked himself, alarmed that she had not returned since the emergency session during Order 66.

Shifting his gaze once again, he caught the eye of Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila, her stature calm and ready. But when their eyes met, an unspoken communication went between them. Concern over their missing colleague and friend was evident between the two. The only thing that averted both of their attentions were the sounds of clone troopers' armor racking through the halls of the senate. White armor began to pour into the senate chamber and yells of "You're under arrest!" or "Hands Up!" echoed through the chamber.

Left and right, the clones arrested Bail's friends and political allies. What had shocked him to the core was that the senators being arrested were _members_ of the Delegation of Two Thousand. Quickly glancing at the Emperor's reaction, Bail wasn't surprised when he saw the Emperor crack a smile on his melted face. _He's getting rid of his enemies before they make a move. _He deduced as he turned around and saw that his pod had not been invaded by one of the clones. _And scaring the rest of us into submission_.

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_"Three Jedi Padawans were found hiding in the CoCo Town district and were taken to the Imperial prison for questioning," _the holonet reporter announced to the audience. Obi-Wan Kenobi leaned closer to the screen from his seat on a chestnut brown couch and gave a deep breath. Even with Darth Vader gone, the Empire was still capturing Jedi everyday- ten at the very least. _"In the political arena, sixty-three senators from the Delegation of Two Thousand have been arrested after being accused by the Imperial Security Bureau on the grounds of a political plot to overthrow the Emperor and his new powers to take over the senate."_

Various pictures of some senators filled the screen. Garm Bel Ilbis, Fang Zar, Ivor Drake; to name a few. The Negotiator crossed his arms over his chest as he continued to watch the holonet news. Sensing someone approach behind him, Obi-Wan spared a look behind the couch and saw that it was Padmé, dressed in a flowing blue dress; walk into the living room. The senator hadn't bothered to hide the swell of her belly and opted for a more appropriate attire for a heavily pregnant woman. _  
_

The senator settled on a cushioned chair and placed a pillow behind her to support the small of her back. Curious at the news, Padmé had Obi-Wan repeat the newscast. Awfully sure that the news would bring unwanted stress to the senator, Obi-Wan advised, "Senator, the situation in Coruscant had gotten..._out of hand_. I do not wish to place anymore stress than what you already have."

Offering a smile to the Jedi master, Padmé assured, "I can handle it, Master Kenobi. I just want to check on the condition of the senate and if my friends are alright."

Seeing that there was no use in arguing with a senator who was one of the main vocal opponents against the former chancellor, Obi-Wan relented. Carefully watching the senator's expressions as the news continued, the Negotiator prepared himself for the news' announcement over the arrests of the senators. But when it came, Padmé's appearance had betrayed nothing. She looked blank. Not sure how to approach the situation, Obi-Wan couldn't help but ask, "Are you alright?"

Slowly nodding, Padmé scanned the newsfeed for any signs of Bail or Mon Mothma's arrests. Giving a breath of relief, the senator of Naboo was elated that Bail and Mon Mothma had followed her words and kept themselves out of the arrests and out of the Emperor's list of immediate enemies. As far as Padmé was concerned, her two friends are the leaders of a new movement and practically the future resurrectors of democracy.

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**I know I keep saying this in my chapters, but I _really_ appreciate your reviews. The next chapters are going to take longer for me to update (2-3-maybe 4 days). I will try to update it as fast as I can, but I also want it to make the story have a lot of sense and I can no longer try to write a chapter under three hours without going insane. Hope you understand! -RC-1197 **


	13. Dissidents of the Empire

**Heyoooo! I apologize for the late update, but there were somethings I had to finish before writing up this chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

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In the halls of the Imperial Senate, there was an atmosphere of fear. Senators, who would normally converse with each other, now hastily made their way to their offices and had not even bothered to utter a single word to anyone. Even those who are either brave or incredibly foolish enough to keep up a conversation with someone equally so, kept a cautious eye around each passing of a clone patrol.

Senator Mon Mothma of Chandrila was no stranger to the unspoken rule within the confines of the galactic seat of power, and kept to herself. The only gesture she spared was a greeting or a simple nod that would draw the attention of nearby senators who would narrow their eyes or take a glance at her. Being the recipient of the many death glares or harsh stares during her tenure as a galactic senator, Mon Mothma was unfazed by the senators' attitudes as she had a more pressing matter at hand.

Taking each stride confidently, she gave everyone that had passed her, a feeling of determination and resolve. They all knew that Mon Mothma was a close friend to many of those arrested nearly three days ago and some wondered why _she _hadn't been one of them. Wild and untamed rumors began to spread across the senate floor like wild fire; about the alleged plot to overthrow the new Empire supposedly conjured by the members of the Delegation of Two Thousand. Nothing in the stature of the senator of Chandrila suggested that she'd heard of such accusations, as her resolve began to strenghten with each step.

Once entering the safety of her office, Mon Mothma settled on her desk and began to examine her options in opposing Palpatine and his rule. As senator, she wanted to be a being that would bring diplomacy and peace to her people, not to force them into complete obedience like what the Emperor is attempting to accomplish with millions of star systems. She had to stop him before he destroys the very name of democracy she and many senators like her, had worked hard to protect.

* * *

"This situation will not solve itself unless we _act_," Garm Bel Iblis suggested to his fellow senators. Senator Bail Organa kept his face blank, while Senator Mon Mothma shifted in her seat. The three senators had agreed to initiate clandestine meetings out of the ears of the Empire and decided to conduct them under the safety of Senator Organa's Alderaanian embassy.

Bail cleared his throat. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but what you are suggesting is an _open-rebellion_. We simply do not have the means to supply what you propose, much less retaliate without meeting the new Empire's method of silencing any resistance movements."

Iblis considered Bail's opinion before shifting his gaze to the window, where the Senate Chamber stood proudly against the Coruscant sky. "Bail, neither I nor Corellia are willing to let our freedom be stripped from us. Palpatine's new Empire is still in its infancy, leaving us many opportunities to commence covert strikes to critically damage the Empire's military forces before they grow stronger."

Organa leaned back on his chair and placed his arms on its rests. "It will take _years_ before we are ready for an open resistance and many credits to supplement them. "

"We are senators trying to preserve democracy, not military leaders," Mon Mothma spoke as she laced her fingers together, supporting Bail.

Bail nodded in agreement. "Mon is right, words can do so much more. We have to think this through before attempting anything drastic."

"Since when did your words stop the violence that proceeded to split the galaxy in half, senator? To my knowledge, you _voted_ for Palpatine to gain emergency powers and look what good that did to us," Iblis placed an elbow on the table that was in front of all three senators, clearly on edge. "There's a reason as to why I called the _Contemplanys Hermi_ during the Military Creation Act."

Silence once again filled the room. Contemplanys Hermi was a clause in the Republic Constitution that allowed a representative of their respected sector to secede their right to veto, but maintain their standing as a Republic World. Garm Bel Iblis enacted the clause, much to other senator's surprise and outrage, which had not been used since the early days of the Republic.

"Senators, please. Bickering over what had already happened will get us nowhere," Mon Mothma interrupted the pregnant silence. "Perhaps our concerns would be best heard by the Emperor. There is a chance that he might realize what he is leading the galaxy into, is a foolish move. I must repeat again, _we are senators_."

Garm looked at Mon Mothma and solemnly replied, "As far as I'm concerned, the term '_senator'_ does not _exist_ in Emperor Palpatine's vocabulary."

* * *

**There ya go! The first mention of the future Rebel Alliance!**

** I also need suggestions for Anakin, Padmé, Obi-Wan's aliases in the following chapters, PM me if you have one! **

**Also, to clear up any forseeable confusion, Empire day wasn't enacted yet as a national holiday. (I just feel that it takes waaaay longer to announce and prepare for the upcoming day.)**

**Thank you so much for the reviews and for your patience with this chapter. -RC-1197**


	14. Empire Day: Part 1

**I'm back and don't worry! I didn't go AWOL and I'm not planning on starting now. I don't own Star Wars. I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D**

* * *

Emperor Palpatine offered himself a sinister smile as he watched the Coruscant sky become painted with the hues of an early sunrise. His dark presence complemented the blood red walls of his office in the Senate Chamber. Today was a special day for the elderly Sith Lord as it would mark the glory of his new Empire. It would also consolidate his rule over the former Republic _permanently_. Many things were to occur on this particular day, but Palpatine had become satisfied with the official proclamation of the New Order and had not bothered to turn his attention to anything else besides his beloved Empire.

"My lord," Mas Amedda, dressed in ceremonious robes in part of the festivities to happen in a few hours, called out the Emperor from behind. Palpatine shifted his golden amber eyes and saw the blue skinned Chagrin in the corner of his eye. "The shuttle is ready to take you to the Palace for your address to the public."

The Emperor steadily made his way out of the office with his advisor following closely. Passing through the Senate hall, Palpatine relished in the senators' collective fear as he had sensed each and every one of them mask their horror as they bowed to him. Even in his youth, he had dreamed of instances like this, where the most powerful politicians would bow to _him. __Cower in fear, senators, because I can end your term in the blink of an eye._ Palpatine maliciously grinned in spite of himself.

Arriving at the shuttle, the Emperor gazed at his surroundings for a moment. Every building, every being, and basically _everything _is _his_ for the taking.

_Everything._

* * *

Across the galaxy and into the Outer Rim territories, another event is about to take place.

Anakin Skywalker- now called Hayden Jinn when outside the confines of his home, sat in silence as he watched the holonet news announce the upcoming declaration of the Empire through the local cantina's holofeed. He felt grateful of his helmet as he gritted his teeth in frustration. _He _caused this. The overwhelming guilt was eating him from the inside. Even when Padmé had accepted his apology, Anakin didn't feel that it was enough to make her trust him before he had choked her. Force, he _choked_ her. His own wife and mother of his unborn child.

Because of what he had done, he had condemned his family to exile on a hostile planet ready to kill any Jedi who would come their way.

Noticing Anakin's brooding mood, Obi-Wan Kenobi- under the alias of Ewan Jinn; Anakin's older brother, cautiously made his way to the bar table. Their trip to the town was productive as they purchased some supplies and a crib that Padmé requested.

Placing a reassuring hand on his brother's shoulder, Obi-Wan sat on the bar stool next to him. "Something's troubling you," he pointed out, knowing that what he said was obvious to everyone in the cantina.

"I'm that readable?" Anakin questioned irritably.

"Hayden," Obi-Wan reminded himself that they were in the public. "I'm only trying to help you."

_"Can't you see that you aren't yourself? I'm trying to help you!" _

_"Help me?" Vader fumed."All you've been doing was preventing me from saving the people that I love and driving me apart from—"_

Anakin flinched at the flashback. Though Obi-Wan and he have reconciled and old rifts have been patched up, the most painful and haunting memory for Anakin was the words he said to his brother. Sure, that was Vader whom Obi-Wan confronted in the volcanic world of Mustafar, but the words came out of _his mouth. _

_"It's always the code with you! You can't have attachments Anakin, this. Be mindful of your feelings, that. I'm _sick_ of you and your constant criticism! I was never good enough for you!"_

Those were the bitter words that were exchanged on the platform nearly two weeks ago.

"I'm sorry for the words I said on Mustafar. I…was just so..._angry_ and hurt that I wasn't thinking straight," Anakin finally spoke after a long silence. "It was among the list of the many stupid mistakes I've made that had _killed_ and put beings in danger."

With patience rivaling Master Yoda, Obi-Wan nodded silently with a hint of a smile. It was something that Anakin did not expect him to do. Obi-Wan _listened_. It was very rare to have Obi-Wan sit there, not make a single sound and just understanding. Anakin's words were usually followed by reprimands or assurance and the Chosen One found it unsettling at his former master's change of quirk.

The Negotiator pulled off his helmet and had set it on the bar table before opening his mouth to say, "We all make mistakes in some point of our lives. Some major and some minor, but the most important thing for a being to realize…is to move on and accept that what they did was a mistake. The reason why beings call misjudgment a mistake is that you see the situation from a different view or perspective, one being might've seen the situation in different light compared to your assessment."

Placing his right arm on the bar table and casually leaning on it, the Jedi master continued, "Our point of views aren't always the truth. Sometimes, you will have no choice but to fall into the trap of misjudging the situation. Even the best politicians and revered Jedi are susceptible to their lack of hindsight," Obi-Wan smiled softly at the young man, "But in all my years of living in this galaxy, you're the only person I know who _learned_ from it. You've managed to learn from your mistakes within a matter of minutes in the case of what happened on Mustafar, something very hard to understand even with the most enlightened of beings."

Silent on his stool, Anakin was still absorbing his former master's words. Something changed in the Chosen One at that very moment. Anakin felt that in every sense of the word, Obi-Wan Kenobi- who was a father figure to a young nine-year-old Anakin, was his _brother_. In bond, in heart, in soul, in all but blood.

He was a young man trying to find peace with himself and a destiny he could not control. Born into a life with unusual circumstances, Anakin was just struggling to find someone to lead him to understanding. That was how Obi-Wan understood his brother.

* * *

Padmé snapped open her eyes as she felt a powerful kick on her side. Shifting her position on the seat she had dozed off on, she felt another kick on her other side. _That was the tenth time today._ The senator from Naboo worriedly thought as she shuffled her way to the kitchen to brew herself tea, in hopes of calming her unborn child's agitated state.

Upon arriving at the kitchen area, she saw her golden protocol droid approach her. "My lady, is there anything I can do to assist you?" Curtly shaking her head, Padmé held up a hand to reinforce what she indicated and the droid, in his own will, followed her closely. Seeing his mistress brew hot water, Threepio put together the pieces and figured that she was merely brewing tea. The golden plated droid made his way out of the door with his servomotors grinding with each step. It wasn't until Threepio was down the hall when he heard the sound of something shattering.

Making his way back to the kitchen, Threepio saw his mistress on the ground, breathing heavily and leaning on the kitchen's lower wooden cabinets through his artificial photoreceptors. The shards of a broken ceramic cup was scattered in front of the senator. "Oh my goodness gracious! Milady, are you alright?" Padmé was unable to give an answer as if she couldn't hear him. Threepio frantically made his way to the nearest holocomm station, which was thankfully settled next to the sink off to Padmé's right.

_"Oh curse my slow appendages! Mistress Padmé is in danger!" _Threepio mumbled to himself as he made his way to the station as fast as he could go. Finally making it to the comm, Threepio keyed in his master's code. "Master Ani! Something's wrong with mistress Padmé! You have to come home quickly!"

Eyeing his mistress, Threepio said to himself, "Oh _dear_."

* * *

**Sorry guys for the cliffy…I'm just evil like that. :P (I'm kidding!)**

**Anyways…the reasons why I didn't update was that I'm a total procrastinator. A major thing happened to me this week and I got pumped up for that (which is another pathetic reason). **

**I got my drivers permit (YAY) and before I took the test, I was studying like crazy. **

**There will be events that I plan to switch around for the sake of making everything more dramatic to the story, so stay alert for that. **

**You guys never cease to amaze me. 82 reviews! Oh KRIFF! -RC-1197**


	15. Empire Day: Part 2

**I hope the long wait was made up with this long chapter. :) **

* * *

"Padmé!" Anakin Skywalker called out to his wife frantically as he rushed passed the front door. "Padmé?" The Chosen One scanned the Force and felt his wife in _pain_. He cringed and placed his helmet on a small table next to the door.

With his arms thrown up in normal fashion for that certain droid, Threepio emerged from the kitchen area with the familiar sound of his servomotors grinding together. "Thank goodness! I was beginning to think you hadn't got my message, sir."

Ignoring his protocol droid's words, Anakin wordlessly rushed passed the golden plated droid and bounded into the kitchen. Threepio turned around in time to see his master's armored leg retreat into the kitchen. _Was it something I said?_ Threepio couldn't help but think, slightly offended by his master's lack of attention.

Second to come through the door, Obi-Wan Kenobi eyed the protocol droid through his visor and asked, "What happened?"

"Oh, sir! I was walking down the hall to check up on Artoo's modifications on Master Anakin's arm. As you know, master Ani has a very distinct taste for his modifications and I believe that—" Threepio rambled and started to get sidetracked.

Obi-Wan felt like he needed to stop the droid and held up a hand, "Threepio! _Just_ tell me what happened." The Negotiator may be galaxy-known for a prolonged sense of patience, but even _he _couldn't handle the droid's simple ramblings when there was a situation requiring the essence of time.

Threepio cocked his head slightly and sighed, "Mistress Padmé was brewing herself tea, I believe, when I left the kitchen. Like I had said before, sir, when I was down the hall, I heard a something loud shatter..." Obi-Wan shifted his gaze behind Threepio's golden head to see Anakin leading a very tired looking Padmé, out through the door.

Striding his way to Anakin and the Senator, Obi-Wan mumbled, "Thank you," to a bewildered looking Threepio. Giving himself a dejected gesture, the droid followed the Jedi master. _I can never understand humans and their complex nature._

After settling Padmé on the dark blue couch, Anakin looked at his brother with fear evident in his eyes. "Padmé isn't due for another month, this is too early." A bead of sweat came down his former Padawan's eyebrow and Obi-Wan chuckled.

"Relax, Anakin, that's normal for Padmé's pregnancy," the Negotiator brushed off as he received a panicked look from the younger man.

Anakin had his eyes bulged as he tended to his wife. "_Normal_, master? I'm pretty sure that going into _premature_ _labor _isn't normal."

"With twins, I think the labor process can happen rather quickly," the Jedi master deduced, not knowing about Anakin's lack of awareness about having two kids instead of one.

_All right, where's the nearest clinic in this…wait, what did Obi-Wan just say?_ A blind man, who had just seen the sun for the first time, didn't _compare_ to Anakin's shocked expression. The Chosen One opened his mouth, but no words came out. Obi-Wan was expecting his brother to agree with him, but he did not expect Anakin to react this way.

"Twins! Oh congratulations, sir!" Threepio interjected excitedly, breaking the tension in the room.

"_Twins_?" Anakin spoke hoarsely as he looked at Padmé. "Did you know?"

Padmé shook her head, while rubbing her belly soothingly. "I just assumed that this was a big baby and nothing more."

Anakin threw his wife a concerned glare as he questioned, "When was the last time you've been checked by an Emdee?"

Padmé offered Anakin a apologetic expression as she replied, "On the fourth month, which was also the time when one of the media personnel spotted me during my visit to the clinic. I didn't want a scandal to ensue, so that visit became my last."

"Padmé," Anakin gently said as he kneeled to take Padmé's hand and placed it in between his.

"The last thing I wanted was for you to find out about my pregnancy while fighting in the Outer Rim," Padmé quietly explained as she felt another contraction.

The Chosen One sighed and looked over to Threepio, who was just standing behind Obi-Wan. "Threepio, can you get the bags?"

It seemed like the droid had forgotten that he was in the room as he jerked at the command and nodded quickly. "Very well, master Ani."

As the droid shuffled out of the room in a hurry, Obi-Wan glanced at his brother and apologized, "I'm sorry, Anakin. I thought you already knew about the twins."

"With the events that happened after we rescued Palpatine from the _Invisible Hand_, I didn't sense their presences. My mind was caught up with so many things happening at once," Anakin threw a sheepish half-grin as he helped Padmé get up from her seat.

Obi-Wan came at Padmé's side and helped Anakin take her to the speeder parked right outside the door. "Hold on, Anakin. Do we even _know_ where we're going to take Padmé?"

Threepio was already placing the bags filled with some baby supplies and a carrier in the backseat of the speeder. "There's one clinic that the duchess informed me of before she left for Sundari, but that's pretty far from the town. It's in someplace called Kyrimorut." The two men managed to place Padmé in the backseat as comfortably as possible and occupied the front seat. Anakin took the driver's seat and began to start the vehicle.

Obi-Wan indicated to Threepio, who was standing a few feet away from the speeder and ordered, "Stay here with Artoo and make sure that mess in the kitchen gets cleaned up. We should be back in a few hours, give or take a day or two." The golden plated droid nodded in agreement and watched as the speeder pulled away from the home.

* * *

"This is outrageous," Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan whispered in protest to his colleagues as he watched the Holonet news covering the subjugation of Kashyyk. There were videos where dozens of Clone troopers were attacking a Wookiee village and the Wookiee Warriors were fighting back with everything they've got. Just a few short weeks ago, the warriors were fighting side by side with the clone army to repel the incoming Separatist forces. _This…this is just madness. Palpatine has gone too far with _everything _that happened_.

Senator Garm Bel Iblis approached the senator from Alderaan and reasoned, "You see, senator? You see why we have to take action? If we let Palpatine continue this path, then what we…_discussed_ will never take root."

"This is a delicate situation and we must not think with our turmoiled emotions," Mon Mothma interjected in a calm tone as she stepped in front of the window of her office. The three senators had been previously discussing, more of debating, whether or not they would proceed with Garm Bel Iblis's plan to form a rebel resistance with each of their planet's _already_ forming resistance cells.

_I swore an oath to the Republic to protect and serve with dignity and just._ Bail thought to himself. _Not to see it crumble into nothing._

"And let the galaxy continue to rot under Palpatine's rule?" Iblis retorted in disgust and moved his gaze to the media coverage of Kashyyk. "I'm sorry, Senator Mon Mothma, that is something I simply _cannot _do."

Bail faced Garm with his hands tightly clasped behind his back and with a straight face, said, "There is word of a Separatist leader willing to supply the resistance cells on Alderaan."

Mon Mothma looked away from the window and expressed surprise at her colleague. "You aren't suggesting—"

"That you contact the the Separatist leader?" Garm finished, equally shocked as Mon Mothma. Bail spared a look at the two senators and no one spoke for a moment. Uneasiness filled the whole office as no one knew what to say. They all seemed to have the same question in their minds. Were they willing to go to great lengths for democracy to survive?

* * *

Roars of approval rang through the crowds of Coruscanti beings as Emperor Palpatine arrived at the podium. Dotted in white among the huge crowd, were the clone guard assigned to oversee the activities of the ceremony. As Palpatine raised a hand to the crowd, the yells of approval were enough to make tourists and just about everyone, stop what they were doing to see the spectacle.

"Greetings, my fellow Coruscanti," the Emperor cackled in glee. The crowd roared as loud as a rancor. "When I took office thirteen years ago, I vowed to bring an end to all of the corrupt and injustice the Republic has brought forth to the galaxy. Now, scarred by the traitors of the Empire, I will not stand down! I will not let the government I love, be taken away! Through this new Order, I shall bring order to those who justly deserve it and bring all of the enemies of the Empire to their knees!" Cheers rang all around.

* * *

"The once oppressed will speak in a loud collective voice that they are much stronger and more powerful!" The emperor announced in triumph as the crowd went wild with approval with the camera panned to show the whole extent of the crowd.

Sergeant Kal Skirata watched the holonews with a frozen expression. _So_ _t__he sleazy _chakaar_ managed to turn the Republic to an Empire_. The Mandalorian sergeant couldn't care less about the Empire as long as his boys aren't affected directly by them. As long as they kept their low profile, they were as good as gone. A low whine of an incoming speeder grabbed the man's attention and he looked out of the window.

A fellow Mandalorian dressed in the usual _beskar'gam _of black and blue emerged from the speeder. The man's helmet was still on as he addressed to Kal in a slightly panicked voice, "Do you have a medical facility here?"

"It's just around the back," Kal answered, getting suspicious about the way the man was acting. "You from here?"

Without missing a beat, the man replied, "Just a few klicks away from Enceri with my wife and brother."

Something felt off about the man and Kal couldn't help but feel mistrustful. Nevertheless, he led the man to Mij Gilamar's clinic. Mij was a good friend of Kal and worked with the aged sergeant during their tenure as the _Cuy'val Dar, _training the new clone troopers before the war had started. One trooper used to fake ailments to talk to Mij, since he was also a doctor for the troops at that time.

Mij Gilamar sat on his desk, polishing his scalpel after an encounter with a Death Watch member, Dred Priest. The man was radical in his views on the Mandalorians gaining back their strength to conquer the galaxy and Mij was more than happy to remove Priest from this world, _permanently_. A knock on his door brought the doctor to look at the incoming man in black and blue armor.

"I need you help, sir. It's my wife, she's having a baby…well, twins," he frantically spoke as he led Mij to his speeder.

"_Udesii, ner vod. _What's your name?"

The man calmed down somewhat and replied, "Hayden Jinn."

"That sounds Corellian," Mij commented as they reached the speeder. There was another Mandalorian waiting by the vehicle in sand-gold armor like his and the way his body was positioned looked like he didn't trust him. Mij couldn't say he trusted the man either.

* * *

Anakin Skywalker paced outside of his wife's room as Obi-Wan Kenobi leaned on the white walls of the facility. Anxiety was filling Anakin's Force signature which he had tried so hard to keep hidden as a precaution to keep the Emperor from finding out where he was. Meanwhile, Obi-wan sensed something in the Force and it was subtle, but unmistakable. "Do you sense a Force user here?"

The Chosen One paused and had felt strong presences besides Obi-Wan, the twins, and Padmé's. It felt polished and trained. Cold water ran through his veins and a tendril of hope coursed through his entire being. There were Jedi survivors here.

* * *

**Keep in mind that Empire Day _chapters_ are spanning the in _hours_ not days. The events after each break are occurring right after the other, so its all happening at one time. Hope you understand it! **

**Here are the translations of some Mando'a used in this chapter:**

**Chakaar** = thief, criminal, or scumbag.

**Cuy'val Dar = "**Those Who No Long Exist."

**Ner Vod** = my brother/ sister, also referred to as 'my friend.'

**Udesii** = relax, be calm

**Many thanks to all of you who reviewed and congratulated me! Until next time! -RC-1197**


	16. Empire Day: Part 3

**Getting close to 100 reviews! Wow, I never imagined that you guys would like my story. THANK YOU. Everything will be explained in the bottom A/N. Thanks for your patience! **

**Do I really have to say that I don't own SW? Honestly, its like poking an open wound. **

* * *

Tallisibeth Enwandung-Esterhazy, made her way to the medical facility that Mij Gilimar had called her to. She was seen as an ungifted Jedi and had many masters convinced that her destiny was to be written under the Jedi Service Corps, a path that many initiates had seen as an undesired position within the ranks of the Order. Nicknamed Scout by her peers in the Jedi Order, she made up her lack of connection with the Force through her ability to sense her enemy's actions before they could make them.

After she turned the corner, where the medical facility was placed, Scout stopped dead in her tracks. Scout recognized Anakin right when she saw him, having seen him when he stormed the Temple with an entire legion of clone troopers. She saw the look on Anakin's face on the night of the Purge and was scared of him, along with the clones she had once trusted. It took a little longer to realize that the man in sand-gold armor was Obi-Wan Kenobi since his trademark beard was shaved off.

In front of her, leaning on the white walls, were the famed Negotiator and Hero With No Fear. Both of their helmets were resting in their grips as they spoke in hushed tones. Hesitant to approach both of the men, Scout started to backtrack her steps when she heard a voice call out, "Scout?" Frozen in place, Scout slowly shifted her gaze to Master Kenobi, who was looking straight at her. More concerned with Anakin's reaction than the Negotiator's, Scout studied the Chosen One's expression and sensed surprise from him.

Before anyone could continue, the door hissed open and demanded all three of the Jedi's attentions. "Mr. Jinn, you wife is alright and it may take a few more hours before she is fully dilated, so I suggest that you sit tight." Mij explained as he stepped out of his patient's room and glanced at Scout, who was on the outer edges of his peripheral line of sight. "Scout, just the person I need, can you please watch over Mrs. Jinn for the time being while I get everything set?"

"Mr. Jinn?," Scout questioned the authenticity of the Chosen One's alias and received a sharp glare from the latter.

Anakin Skywalker- called Hayden Jinn in the eyes of the Mandalorian doctor, cleared his throat, "Ahem, that would be me."

Still caught up with Mij's words, Scout let her mind's words roll out of her mouth, "His wife…he has a wife?"

Aware of the young girl's surprise, Mij nodded at Obi-Wan and Anakin before he gave Scout a look. "Please excuse her actions, we don't usually get visitors around here."

"Not at all," Obi-Wan cut in as he gestured Anakin to enter the room. Taking a few steps to the girl, Obi-Wan smiled. "I'm Ewan Jinn, Hayden Jinn's older brother." By that time, Mij stepped out of the hall, leaving the Jedi Master with the fifteen-year-old Padawan to their devices. An uncomfortable air of silence dominated the whole facility.

* * *

"You can't be serious, Bail." Mon Mothma spoke in alarm as she sat in one of her chairs that faced the holoscreen and offered the Alderaanian senator a confused expression. "We are _not_ going to turn ourselves to into the enemies of the government by the collaborating with the Separatists. Where is the honor in joining the enemy?"

Bail Organa drew a sharp breath before answering, "The war is over, Senator Mothma. They are no longer the a posable threat to us and I believe that we share a common enemy."

Garm Bel Iblis crossed his arms and shifted his weight while he stood. As shocked as he was to Bail's motion to contact the Separatist leader, Iblis had to agree with Bail's view- in a somewhat reluctant way. "The enemy of my enemy is my _friend_. Call him."

Senator Organa gave a mute sign of approval as he produced a small comlink from his voluminous robes. Mon Mothma stood up from her seat and gripped Bail's forearm that held the comlink as a show of restraint. Mon Mothma had an aggrieved look as she quietly spoke, "When I first joined the Senate, you told me that politics was a dangerous game especially for someone my age."

_Please, Bail. See reason and the terrible ripple effects a simple comlink call could make. _"You told me that even when the world of politics had gotten more vile than the underworld of Coruscant, there was still hope. Hope that you can convince thousands of like-minded individuals to change things for the better. Through words of _reason_ and not violence," she continued, feeling confident that her colleague would realize the consequences of simply calling the leader and the events that could occur down the line. "We _cannot_ give up on that." _  
_

_Be good little senators. Mind your manners and keep your heads down. _

Organa heard Padmé's words echo through his mind. _For how long, Padmé? How long do we have to obey the Emperor's wishes? Until he commits genocide? _

"My personal freedom is a small price to pay compared to the galaxy's," the senator from Alderaan calmly answered. Bail shifted his gaze to the holoscreen, which broadcasted the Wookiee planet of Kashyyyk and looked back at Mon Mothma. "Mon, do you want Chandrila to turn into a war zone like Kashyyyk? Where you friends and family reside? Where your _son_ is taking lessons there and growing up?"

There was a heavy air of silence, save for the soft sounds coming from the broadcast. "No," Mon answered frankly, her voice taking a lower tone due to the fact that she knew what he had said had put her in a corner.

"I know I've told you to keep a low profile and listen to what Padmé had instructed us to do, but when will we start to fight for our freedom?" Bail sighed, feeling regret by placing his colleague in a tough position where her personal views and stand point would be compromised.

"Better now than never," Iblis interjected as he made his way to the window and watched as a squadron of V-wing starfighters streaked through the Coruscant sky.

* * *

**First off, I'm _really_ _really_ sorry that I haven't updated in a while. There were things to do and Writer's Block decided to show its ugly head to me. **

**Second, I know that this Empire Day arc is taking a long time, but don't worry. My reason for this is that I want to capture every detail of the character's movements and action to hopefully immerse you into the whole dramatic and emotion filled story. **

**As a consolation to your patience, here's a hint for Republic Commando fans. In collaboration with Andringo (thank you for so much help!), a _certain_ character will appear in the next few chapters. Let's just say that Sergeant Vau likes to keep poison darts handy for situations. :)**

**Don't worry non-Republic Commando fans, I haven't left you. Here's the hint for the next chapter: **

**When on the run, Jedi always likes to keep company of their kin and Scout is no exception. :) **

**May the Force be with you ~RC-1197**


	17. Empire Day: Part 4

"It wasn't until I won the Tournament that I was chosen to become a Padawan," Tallisibeth Ewandung-Esterhazy, nicknamed Scout explained as she clasped her hands together, twiddling with her thumbs. Obi-Wan Kenobi shifted in his seat, in an attempt to break into his stiff armor after standing for a good two hours. With Anakin in the room with Padmé, he left Obi-Wan and Scout to reminisce about the War and how the young Padawan managed to evade capture.

The Jedi master stared into his sand-gold helmet held between his hands, seeing his own reflection through the t-shaped visor. Scout looked around uncomfortably before setting her gaze on the helmet as well. "The sand-gold means vengeance, you know," she murmured to the air, in an attempt to fill the silence. Kenobi didn't seem to register her words for a good minute before he chuckled.

"That sounds pleasant," he quipped as he noted the various scratches etched on his helmet. It looked like the previous owner had a very _active _lifestyle. Obi-Wan looked at the padawan once again and apologized, "I'm sorry, young one. For my inattentiveness."

Scout shook her head, "It's fine, master." Obi-Wan threw the girl a look before she cleared her throat. "I mean, Mister Jinn."

"That's better," the Jedi master leaned back into his seat as had set the helmet on his lap. "I briefly recalled your master's brave actions when I was in the arena. Master Kim was a kind person, one of the most respected masters among the Order. It was a devastating loss for us to lose someone like her."

Scout gave a muted answer and stared at the white tiled flooring. "I know it's against the Code to have attachments, but…" she trailed off.

"You miss her," Obi-Wan finished as he gave a deep sigh. Scout bit her lip and projected shame into the Force. "Young one, missing someone who you deeply cared about is an attachment, but it doesn't mean that it's wrong."

The young girl had her eyebrows scrunched together as her mouth hung slightly, confused. "I'm not following…"

Obi-Wan chuckled silently and gripped his chin as he leaned on his armored knee using his elbow. "It took a near-death experience and nearly losing Anak- Hayden to the dark side, for me to realize that the attachment rule was wrong. To care for someone deeply was what we should've been accepting when we were just younglings. If we should let our personal attachments get in the way of doing what's right, then that's when the attachment rule should be introduced."

"But attachment leads to jealousy," Scout piped, reciting what Master Yoda had spoken to her after the incident concerning her childhood Jedi friend, Whie Malreaux, herself, and in the acid rain planet of Vjun.

"I can see why the council had feared such attachment, namely Anakin's close attachment to his mother which had caused him to head to Tatooine against the council's order," Obi-Wan spoke. "But if you let your emotions get the better of you, then yes." Offering a look at the young girl, Obi-Wan saw confusion etched in her expression.

The Jedi master was about to further explain when a small object had hit his right ankle. Obi-Wan looked down to see a small round ball roll away from him. The Negotiator tried to retrieve the object manually, only to have the small rubber toy fly out of his hand. Puzzled, Obi-Wan followed his gaze to the direction of the ball and saw a young boy with jet black hair cropped to mirror a crewcut some clone troopers sported during the war. The boy's deep brown eyes bore down on the Jedi master, his eyes portraying a child's lively curiosity.

"Hello there," the auburn Jedi greeted. The child didn't respond and continued to stare.

Scout, who watched the whole scene, silently tried to edge the boy away from the Jedi master as she heard the familiar shuffle of one of the clan members arriving. _Oh no..._

_"_Kad?" a deep voice called out. "_Ad'ike_…" Scout hoped that Master Kenobi wouldn't recognize the voice as she bit her lip and rose from her chair. Within moments, a man clad in red and blue armor came around the corner. Though he wore the mask of the Mandalorian warrior, both Scout and Obi-Wan could feel the eerily familiar presence. Frozen, only Obi-Wan's eyes moved to see the figure of a man who shared the same face as the thousands of men that betrayed him and the late Jedi Order.

"You didn't tell me you had _friends_," Obi-Wan's voice sounded accusing to Scout's ears.

The young Jedi Padawan shrugged. "You didn't ask."

* * *

Horn Ambigene of Birix, a dense jungled world turned into the central hub of the Bryx sector, sat in anticipation as he watched the holo of the Empire's official inauguration. His sneer couldn't be contained as he glared at the Emperor's melted face in disgust. _I knew he was up to no good. That blasted man ruined everything and turned the Republic into something far worse than what the Separatist council could conceive. _

The former Separatist general rubbed the side of his temple thoughtfully, as he adjusted his position on his seat, hearing the small squeaks and groans the chair made. The room he was occupying was dim to a point where the holoscreen and a window with the moonlight, offered the only light source. Horn placed his feet on the table as he took a small blaster in his hand, which previously rested next to his feet and began to polish it, using a small rag.

Ambigene's mind devised numerous ways and scenarios where he would personally execute the Emperor with the blaster he held in his hand. _One day, sleemo._ _I'll have my revenge._ His eyes shifted to a shadowed picture and felt unwanted memories consume him. Luckily, before he could get lost in them, a comlink began to demand attention. After he placed the blaster on the desk and the rag along with it, Horn answered the comlink.

"Horn," he gruffly answered. The comlink was silent for a moment.

"General Ambigene?" A soft female voice answered, the tone very regal that made Horn initially shocked at the caller.

Ambigene cleared his throat. "Speaking, and may I ask who might this be? I have a very important call from—"

"A former Republic senator?" The female voice interrupted him with resolve. "Then General Horn, this is who you're speaking to. I'm afraid for security reasons, my colleague is unable to answer and therefore I'm speaking on his behalf."

Horn's eyes narrowed. "And why should I believe you? How do I know that you aren't some Imperial who's trying to find out where I'm hiding?"

"…You don't. All I'm trying to convey is to arrange a…meeting between both of out parties. Mr. Ambigene, we both have a common enemy and we could use your expertise and men in the name of democracy."

"Democracy? You rest the galaxy's fate on words? You're more foolish than what you've lead me to believe," Horn snorted.

"Please, general, I'm trying to be civil about this…" the comlink began to sound off an odd shuffle, as if it was grabbed.

"Listen here," a new voice replaced the female voice, rougher and more demanding. "We could go for days on end arguing about how words won't do good against blaster fights, but that would be a waste of _all _our times. Either let us arrange a meeting with you, or the deal's off."

Former Separatist General Ambigene remained silent, before speaking into the comlink once again. "Garm, you know I wouldn't take my time to wind you up in order to get what I want. You know me, old friend."

"Too well, I might add, Horn," Senator Garm Bel Iblis responded. "Now, is the proposition still in play?"

Horn leaned back into his seat and ran a hand into his red-gold hair. "I'm listening."

* * *

Anakin dabbed his wife's forehead with a small cloth dipped in cold water. "You alright?" He couldn't help but ask.

Padmé Amidala Skywalker threw her husband a raised eyebrow in annoyance after hearing his voiced concern for the _umpteenth_ time. She looked at her husband before making sure that no one was in the room with them. "Anakin, try to remain calm about this. You're taking this too seriously when you shouldn't be."

The Chosen squeezed Padmé's hand, as if he wasn't certain if she was really there. "I'm just nervous," he mumbled before closing his eyes and tried to find peace in his personal storm.

"You're still worried about your dream...aren't you?" Padmé sighed as she felt Anakin's grip slacken.

"I can't shake it from my mind," Anakin admitted as he shifted his eyes and placed the small wet cloth on a small wooden table placed beside the bed.

"Anakin…" the senator trailed off as she felt another contraction course through her. Instantly alert, Anakin snapped his eyes back to his wife. Before the Chosen One could mutter a word of concern, Padmé gripped her husband's hand a little tighter and reassured, "I'm fine."

"Just…please tell me if you feel something odd," he asked, his heart pounding in his throat. "I can't _lose_ you."

Padmé looked at her husband with a small glint of hope that would reassure him and secretly, herself. "In the dream, what were surroundings that I was in?"

Anakin forced himself to recall the dream to his consciousness and studied the background carefully. The surroundings his beloved was in had a sense of order as the room was grey with prominent black horizontal lines running across from one end to another. It felt almost…_alien, _comparable to the unsettlingly white city of Tipoca on Kamino. Padmé watched as he husband's breath became ragged and squeezed his hand in an effort to shake him out of his moment of panic.

The gray background ebbed away as Anakin registered his wife's grasp and he immediately looked around the room they were in. To his relief, the walls of the room were white, but it was decorated with small paintings meant to soothe whoever looked upon them. He shifted his eyes and noted that the patterns on the walls from his vision were different from the patterns on the walls now.

"It was grey with black lines running across it. Nothing like what I'm looking at now," Anakin finally breathed, as if the pressure of the entire galaxy had lifted off of his chest.

"See? There's nothing to worry about," Amidala said, with a radiant smile starting to form on her lips. The Hero With No Fear kissed Padmé's forehead and let out a deep breath. _Thank the Force. _Anakin thought to himself happily.

A few minutes were spent on murmuring reassurances and reminiscing in small memories to pass the time until Anakin felt his brother's suddenly tense emotions. Alert, Anakin broke away from Padmé, who was as surprised as he was; and headed out to see what was happening. When the door hissed open, Anakin looked to his left to see his former master visibly tense with the young Padawan, Scout, standing behind him. Anakin moved his gaze to the right to see a black and red armored newcomer with his helmet on.

Upon closer observation, Anakin realized that the Mandalorian on his right side was a _clone. _The Chosen One tried to grab his lightsaber that usually hung on his left side, only to remember that he and Obi-Wan's blades were stored in a compartment in the speeder. It was silent in the entire hallway, save for the usual sounds of breathing and the occasional shuffle when someone stays still for too long. It was if everyone was waiting for each other to make the first move, though it would be difficult since three of them were Jedi with fast reflexes. The only thing that broke the collective silence was a woman's call coming from the entrance of the clinic. "Dar? Did you find him?" The Mandalorian looked behind his shoulder and placed a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder.

Obi-Wan threw a glance at his brother, who was helmet-less as he was. Both the Negotiator and Hero With No Fear waited in anticipation as the sounds of light footsteps came closer. In front of the awkward group, a young woman with brown hair that was streaked with red and blonde, appeared from the corner. Her features weren't too striking and it allowed her to blend in crowds, with a lightly freckled face and fair skin. One feature that made her noticeable, if you took the time to study it, was her light green eyes that had flecks of amber mixed with it. Her height didn't really do anything to make her stand out, as she was a head shorter than the clone.

The woman smiled as she saw the clone and the dark-haired boy. "That's where you boys are," she laughed as she shifted her gaze to accommodate three more people in her line of sight. Obi-Wan felt a tingle in the back of his mind, similar to the feelings he would get when he would encounter with a trained Force-user that he had met briefly or had never even seen. The woman's smile dissolved and her mental shields were brought up. Both Anakin and Obi-Wan realized that the woman was a…Jedi.

"Anakin...Skywalker," the woman slowly murmured as she reached for the little boy in a protective way. Skywalker stared at the woman, in shock as he searched for the name he desperately tried to remember. Flashes of memories zoomed through the Chosen One's mind. The second Battle of Sluis Van came to mind as Anakin recalled his brief partnership with her. He distinctly remembered the participation of an elite clone unit called Republic Commandos, who were under the woman's leadership.

_Tur-Mukan_. Anakin remembered the woman's last name. "Etain Tur-Mukan," he said aloud.

Obi-Wan spared a glance towards the woman- Etain and witnessed a flashback. The Negotiator remembered chatting with Jedi Tur-Mukan after the second Battle of Sluis Van and recalled that she had an attachment to her men, which made the Jedi master compare her to Anakin whenever Senator Amidala's name would come up in a subject. "_Jedi General _Etain Tur-Mukan?"

"What are you doing here?" Etain Tur-Mukan asked with a certain edge in her voice that made Anakin and Obi-Wan feel unwelcome.

The Hero With No Fear looked at the group of people around him and snorted, "We were about to ask you the same thing."

* * *

**Alright! I hope this chapter is long enough for you readers out there!**

**I'm _very _sorry for the long update, it's just that I started school and I've been assaulted with projects and homework that I can't seem to finish at home. A****dding to my busy schedule, I joined the Riflery team in my school that takes up more time! **

**If you want to hit me with a metaphorical lightsaber, then be my guest. I deserve that after making you guys wait too long. **

**But I haven't lost my interest in the story, so there will be future updates, it will just take longer for me to write them up. **

**Again, so sorry about the late update. -RC-1197**


	18. Empire Day: Part 5

**I'm getting tired of writing the disclaimer. *sigh**

**I DON'T OWN STAR WARS.**

**This is honestly the last chapter in the Empire Day Part:...arc. The next will have a different name and date unlike the previous chapters where everything happened after the other. So heads up on that.**

* * *

It didn't take too long- actually it didn't even require more than thirty seconds, for Obi-Wan Kenobi to finally realize why there was a threatening edge in Etain Tur-Mukan's voice. Curious brown eyes stared at the Jedi master in wonderment as the gaze was returned by the latter. The boy was strong in the Force, Obi-Wan agreed to himself. He was stronger than his mother. The Negotiator wouldn't say that the notion of having a child was beyond the boundaries of what Jedi Tur-Mukan would do, but it shocked him nonetheless. _What have we stumbled into? _

Anakin, who tried his best to look as confident and cocky as his usual self, shifted his gaze and saw what his brother was seeing. Without even a single thought of the consequences he was going to say, Anakin alleged, "The youngling is yours…isn't he, Etain?"

Etain tensed, as if she was was facing two Sith Lords. Her hand flew to her belt, an immediate reflex made by every Jedi that would come across something potential dangerous, but didn't feel the cool metal hilt of a lightsaber. Instead, she moved to provide a tangible wall that would shield the two famed Jedi from her son. Aiding her, the clone deserter had placed the boy behind him and took a fighting stance.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat and tried to defuse the tension. "We are not here to recruit potential initiates."

Etain's eyes narrowed and the deserter spoke in a deep mechanized voice that everyone, save for the boy, was familiar with, "_Then _why are you here?"

Anakin's eyes narrowed as he refused to give up the reason he and Obi-Wan were truly there for. If they knew that they would be recognized by the wrong set of people, then they would have never set foot on Kyrimorut. "None of your business," he said sharply as he crossed his arms.

"When your presence can compromise my family's safety, _it is my_ _business_," the deserter snapped back. He didn't care if he was staring down Anakin Skywalker, he survived through waves of battle droids and escaped many tight situations in the war to _not_ feel intimidated by the Jedi's poster boy. "Listen _aruetii_, you better have a really good explanation for me to let you and Kenobi stay here."

Once the words left the deserter's mouth, a flash of immense pain swept through Anakin as he doubled over. The Chosen One took a moment before he muttered a breath, "Padmé." Before everyone could recover from the little spectacle he made, Anakin turned heel and dashed into his wife's room.

Even in the brief moment where Anakin entered one of the medical rooms, Etain caught sight of the room's patient, a young woman who had the unmistakable bulge of pregnancy. _She looks familiar__…_ The Jedi woman attempted to get past Obi-Wan, but the Jedi Master was fierce in his resolve.

"For you and your family's sake, it's best if we keep this on a need-to-know basis," Obi-Wan counseled.

"The woman…" Etain trailed off. _I know I've met her before, but where?__  
_

"Is a need-to-know and frankly, the less you know, the better," Obi-Wan replied.

Etain reassessed her memories and carefully studied the image she froze in her mind. The young woman had chocolate hair and hazel eyes, there was a hint of regality in her expression. _The only woman that seems to fit the description is...Senator Amidala. _Just then, she remembered what Anakin had muttered before leaving the collective presences. _"Padmé." __  
_

Obi-Wan watched as Etain's expression paled and feared that she had put the pieces together. "Jedi Tur-Mukan?"

"That woman…she is Senator Padmé Amidala," Etain managed to breathe. "Isn't she?"

The Negotiator couldn't say anything since it was true and his lie would not work in the presence of two Jedi and a Force-sensitive boy. He just drifted his gaze to the floor. But before he could do so, he saw Etain move towards the door and failed to stop the woman from entering.

Etain had seen many things during the war, but imagining Anakin Skywalker play the role of a concerned father was beyond her. Nonetheless, Anakin Skywalker was seen next to the esteemed Senator Amidala's side. Tur-Mukan could barely grasp what she had just witnessed. _Fierfek. _"You…you and Senator Amidala?"

The Chosen One turned his head away from his wife to see Etain frozen in front of them. "GET OUT!" Anakin roared, his raw emotions of the situation placed in front of him got the better of his temper.

But Etain stayed in place and fumbled with her words. "The senator's pregnant and the father is…you?"

By that time, Obi-Wan and the Mandalorian made their way inside the small room. The Jedi Master tried to calm everyone down, but the Mandalorian made things worse. He grabbed a fistful of Anakin's bodysuit situated around the neck area and brought him up from his knelt position. "You come here for help and in turn you yell at my wife?"

Anakin was about to retort by slamming his fist on the Mandalorian's helmet, but was stopped when he heard his wife's voice. "Anakin, please. There is no use to resort to violence." The Chosen One breathed in deeply and Obi-Wan saw his brother's fist clench tightly before letting the grip become lax.

"Darman, it's alright. Everyone's just wound up with the past events, that's all," Etain piped, as she grabbed the deserter's forearm. Reluctantly, Darman let go of Anakin and stepped back. "Just bring Kad to his room."

Darman glared at Anakin and spat, "Just remember Jedi, if you hurt my _wife_ in any way, the first thing your child will see is it's father's broken nose." The clone left his threat hang in the air as he ushered the boy- his son, away from the fiasco.

Etain cleared her throat and apologized, "I'm sorry, ever since Order Sixty-six, Darman developed a…sore spot with the Order."

"I should apologize as well, seeing as this meeting could generate more tension between our two parties," Obi-Wan replied, sparing a glance at his brother. Anakin looked at the ground, his head hung in shame after his outburst.

With the emotions simmering, Scout- who had stayed quiet the entire confrontation, spoke, "I'm afraid we've stayed here a little too long and if we don't leave this room besides immediate family, then we could risk the safety of the child." Everyone looked at her with a degree of surprise, remembering that she was present. Slowly, Etain and Obi-Wan backed out of the room, leaving Scout with the soon-to-be parents.

"Thanks," Anakin sighed. "Oh and it's not _a _child, we're having twins."

That comment almost made Scout lose her collectively cool composure as she paled and walked out of the room without a word. Anakin chuckled lightly and resumed his stance he maintained before Etain had entered the room.

"Thank you, Anakin," Padmé finally spoke after a few minutes of silence.

"For what?" Anakin's soft smile warmed Padmé's heart and reassured her that her husband was still there mentally.

"For listening to me," she replied and gave a radiant smile.

"My love, I will _always listen _to your words and I won't make the same mistake of mistrusting you ever again." _I swear, she's glowing_. Anakin mused as he returned the smile with a kiss on his wife's hand._ Just like an angel. _

* * *

Two hours had passed since tempers flared in the Kyrimorut clinic and Anakin Skywalker had never felt so utterly joyful and happy in his life. Mij Gilamar- the wonderful Mandalorian doctor, had helped Padmé through the labor and birth every step of the way. Even when he was entrusted with the true identities of the trio, he maintained a professional stance and treated Padmé like any patient.

The birth had gone by quickly in the eyes of the new parents. Even with the reassurance of his former master and his wife, Anakin remained vigilant and alert to any threats that might harm his angel. To his relief, nothing life threatening happened to Padmé. Tired as he was, the Chosen One refused to sleep until he was able to hold each twin in his arms. Five minutes ago, a boy and a minute later- his twin sister, were welcomed into the galaxy.

"Hey little guy, I'm your daddy," Anakin softly murmured to his five-minute-old son as he gently shifted his weight to simulate a rocking motion. His son was far too young to respond to the coos of his father and simply snuggled up against his father's chest. The Chosen One had never felt so calm and relaxed when he held his son for the very first time. The Chosen One glanced at his wife, who was preoccupied with their infant daughter and gestured to her that he would step out for a moment to inform the people waiting.

Births were uncommon for a Jedi to be present in, yet here was Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. He felt an odd sort of anxiety when the time ticked away in a seemingly taunting way as he paced. The Negotiator caught his breath and stopped in his tracks when he saw his brother emerge from the room, holding a small blue bundle. Obi-Wan peered through the wrap and saw crystal blue eyes stare back at him. It was riveting to Obi-Wan as he felt a bright beacon of light emanate from the boy. Even the Force seemed to agree that the birth of Anakin's children was a pivotal moment.

"Congratulations, Anakin," Obi-Wan commended as he clapped his brother in the back. "What's his name?"

Anakin was more than happy to say his son's name. "His name is Luke. Luke Obi-Wan Skywalker."

"Obi-Wan?" Kenobi couldn't help repeat in utter shock. His brother named his son after him?

"I thought it was appropriate since you did help me through all of the hardships we faced during the war. You were my father-figure and now my brother. I spoke to Padmé and we both agreed to include your name to our son's. I just thought that it would be fitting to have the name of a great Jedi Master."

Obi-Wan Kenobi felt his eyes start to sting and furiously blinked it away, in hopes that his brother didn't catch his small moment of tenderness. "I don't know what to say… It's an honor, Anakin, to have you for a brother and to have your son's name bear mine."

"Thank you, Obi-Wan," Anakin nodded.

"Now, what is my niece's name?"

"Leia," Anakin said with pride. "Leia Amidala Skywalker."

"A very beautiful name and can I infer that both of them are as equally beautiful?" Obi-Wan suggested with a grin.

"But of course, Obi-Wan. With a queen-turned-galactic-senator as a mother and the Chosen One as their father, they'll have the eyes of many," Anakin joked, while feeding his ego.

The Negotiator rolled his eyes and remarked, "I guess there are some things that refused to die from your personality, Anakin. Your love for the people who had earned it and the ego that refuses to deflate."

The Chosen One laughed. No power in the entire galaxy could exchange what Anakin felt for his family that moment. It was beyond the riches, the power, and the sheer will for control. Anakin Skywalker _loved_ his family and will continue to until his dying breath. In that moment of immense happiness, a tremor in the Force was felt by all Force-users— young and old; trained and untrained.

A tremor that was the result of the Force _shifting_.

* * *

**Translations from Mando'a:**

**Aruetii =** outsider, foreigner; traitor

**For those who don't know, **Fierfek **is just a curse word used by Corellians and other societies. **

**I finally had the time to squeeze in this chapter in my busy schedule and wrote this! **

**I hope you enjoyed it! ****I'm trying to write long chapters now, so watch for that… ****I apologize for it taking so long.**

**Four words:**

**~Homework**

**~Projects**

**~Riflery**

**~Driving**

**These are the main things that occupy my time to write and I'm eternally sorry for the long updates.**

**Anyways, I'm open to the reviews and I _really_ read them. They keep me going with this ****fic. **

**Give me suggestions to improve my writing, possible plots that I can try to incorporate into the story (ideas that can give the story a few more twists that would go along with the planned ones *wink*), or things that doesn't make any sense. **

**That about wraps it up, so until next time! ~RC-1197**


	19. Through the Eyes of the Wicked

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN STAR WARS and blah blah blah…let's continue on, shall we?****  
**

* * *

Emperor Palpatine was not pleased. The aged Sith Lord reclined into his seat and turned his chair to face the Coruscant city scape through the same grand window that had shattered from Windu's attempt at arresting him. Palpatine gave himself a small satisfactory smile for a moment, as he recounted the duel that ended with Mace Windu, a once revered Jedi master, electrocuted and thrown out of the window. The smile was short-lived.

On the day his precious Empire was christened, Palpatine felt a surge in the Force. It was filled with practically the very _essence_ of the light side of the Force, that it nearly made the Emperor cringe the moment he touched its warmth. The surge meant that the game had changed. How much has been changed, well that was the tricky part Palpatine had spent the last few days trying to figure out. _I foresaw every possibility, every path…but why had I not seen this? _He thought bitterly.

This was the second mistake he had made since Kenobi's success with turning his gifted apprentice back to the light. Palpatine closed his eyes and immersed himself into the Dark Side of the Force. _Where is the catalyst to my plan? _Flashes of people, buildings, and fauna had filled the Dark Lord's mind like a ship entering hyperspace. The flashes became the stretched streaks of stars and his mind became a vessel that witnessed it. From there, he searched and searched.

Then he saw it.

A moment that showed one of Anakin Skywalker's greatest weaknesses. Palpatine hesitated for a moment, as the scene he was about to touch reeked with the Light Side that it was almost sickening. With great will power, he brushed on the scene and the moment projected itself as the hyperspace-like plane shifted to fade into the background.

_Vision_

_Palpatine witnessed himself holding something in his arms. His arms were well muscled and one was mechanical and the Emperor knew that this was clearly not his body. He was watching throughout the eyes of Anakin Skywalker, his apprentice. Suddenly, the bundle in his arms shifted and Palpatine stared at a…baby? The baby's face was plump and peaceful; he looked no more than a few days old. Just as Palpatine was about to probe the vision, a sound echoed throughout the scene. "Sir?" Palpatine tried to ignore the call, but it remained consistent. "Milord?" _

Palpatine had gotten distracted and the vision contracted back into the hyperspace plane like a slingshot that had been released. _No! _"What do you want?" The Emperor snapped, his eyes, opened, darted to the being that interrupted him. Before him, was a clean-shaven officer with wide-eyes that looked like he was just sentenced to death.

"M…Milord…" he stammered as he tugged his collar with his black gloved hand. "Y…y…you're shuttle is w…waiting for you, s-sire."

The Emperor glanced at the time and then nodded, masking his sneer and anger. "Ah yes. Thank you for the reminder…"

"Lieutenant R-Remo, sire," the young man answered with his name as he fidgeted in his stance. Palpatine couldn't care less as the man interrupted him just when he was about to find out who was the newest player in his game. He could kill the man at a whim if he wanted, but the man's fear fueled Palpatine's energy and he allowed the lieutenant to live as he let the younger man lead him to the shuttle. For now at least.

* * *

Padmé Amidala woke with a start. She found herself in a large room that was clearly the master bedroom. A large shelf was a good distance from the bed and a window provided the view of Mandalore's morning sun. A small nightstand was beside her side of the bed that had a holo of Anakin, her, and the twins. The former queen looked around her surroundings and began to relax as she remembered where she was. She had almost forgot that this place was now called home. She looked to her left and frowned when she didn't see her husband's sleeping face next to her. Padmé slowly sat up, her body protested against her will, telling her that she needed rest. Stubborn as she was, Padmé moved to the edge of the bed and placed her feet on the floor, rough hard wood- different from the carpeting in her apartment on Coruscant.

_The twins!_ Padmé remembered as she walked out of the room. She made her way to the nursery and stopped right under the doorframe. There he was, Anakin Skywalker: a war hero, Jedi, her husband, and the father of her children, on a rocking chair with both of the twins in his arms. She smiled as she edged closer to her husband and gave a soft kiss on his cheek.

Anakin turned his head to face his wife and smiled broadly. "Hey," he mouthed and then his expression grew concerned. "Rest."

Padmé rolled her eyes and mouthed back, "I'm fine." In attempt to convince her husband that was truly alright, she held her arms up to indicate that she wanted to hold one of the twins.

Her husband's eyebrows scrunched together and asked, "Are you sure?" Padmé nodded and reached for her son, Luke Obi-Wan Skywalker. Without causing much motions that would cause their son to wake up, Anakin wordlessly handed his wife Luke. Anakin felt his throat and chest tighten as he watched his beautiful wife rock their son, noting the pure love emanating from her eyes that shined brighter than Tatooine's twin suns.

Anakin _lived_ for moments like this. This is where he truly felt like he was home.

* * *

**Long time no see...erm...well post. I finally entered Fall break and hopefully I can have two chapters up this week to make up the month long absence.**

**This chapter is mainly centered around Palpatine _almost_ finding about the twins through his visions that we keep hearing about in the films and shows. I decided to add the small family moment on the side to lighten the mood. Next chapter: The Senators of the Empire. (This is possibly the next chapter name…)**

**It's probably ridiculous that I'd ask you for a review since it took so long for me to write this, but it will be much appreciated if you do! :D**

**I would like to thank: Crazy (for reminding me that I've been out waaaay too long), Will Zona, CommChatter, Zanodalf1992, Jedi Angel 001, Tayyfife, Lunarballet, MuggleCreator, Andringo, and Jedi Kay-Kenobi for all of the _wonderful _****reviews from the last chapters! :) **

**May the Force be With You ~RC-1197 **


	20. The Unforeseen

**Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN STAR WARS! **_  
_

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_"…Governor Tarkin had been supposedly ordered to land on the planet, Ghorman, after its inhabitants had rioted against the New Order and the new policies. Our research team is working to confirm or denounce this fact..." _

Bail Organa frowned at the news report and sipped a small portion of his Alderaanian wine. The day had dragged on longer than he would've liked and the hostile tension in the Senate wasn't doing any good to defuse the heightened emotions. He had hoped that the daily spur of events would calm his turmoiled mind. The Senator from Alderaan scanned his schedule on his datapad and found a small opening in his busy schedule. _In the next hour__…_he remembered where he was supposed to go in that elapsed time. _Either we remain loyal senators of the Empire or the Republic's. Our loyalties will come into light in one hour. _

"_In other news, Senator Padmé Amidala of Naboo, a long time political opponent of the pro-military senators, is reported missing after one of her security personnel reported her absence to the Coruscant Security Force." _

By the time the announcer introduced the assigned reporter for the story, Bail didn't even bother to finish the broadcast. He placed his glass on his rare metallic desk and fished a comlink out of his pocket. Bail keyed in a code and then tapped his fingers impatiently on the table, waiting for the being on the other side of the call to answer. _Ring. Ring. _Then the call was picked up as someone answered, "Hello?"

Bail recognized the voice and cleared his throat, "This is Sabé, right? Senator Amidala's handmaiden?" The line was silent for a moment.

"That is correct, may I ask who this is?" The handmaiden- Sabé answered.

"Bail Organa, Padmé's colleague in the senate," he replied, his concern not wavering for even a second. The senator heard a shuffle in the other side of the conversation. "I just saw the news, is…is what they say really true? Padmé's missing?"

"I'm afraid so, senator. The last person she had conversed with was Captain Typho before she departed. She explained and I quote, 'Personal matters', to the Captain and no one had seen her since." There was concern in the handmaiden's voice; there was no question to that. "Would you happen to have any information to Padmé's whereabouts?"

Organa frowned and responded, "No. The last time I met up with her was when the Emperor announced the Republic's transformation to the Empire."

_"The Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire! For a safer and secure society," the roars of approval in the senate were shocking to say the least. _The senator from Alderaan shook the memory away. _There's no time to dwindle in the past. _He reprimanded himself. "Thank you, Sabé. Hopefully she's safe."

"One can only hope, senator. One can only hope," Sabé replied grimly. Bail didn't respond and ended the transmission as he returned his gaze to the holonet.

_"If you have any information that could help the search for the missing senator, contact us."_

* * *

Self-exile in order to hide from the Empire proved to be relaxing in Obi-Wan Kenobi's mind. In truth, he actually _enjoyed_ it. It was like the old days in the Temple where he would wake up early to watch the sun rise and decorate the cityscape of Coruscant with the morning glow. Ever since the Clone Wars dominated the galaxy with destruction, Obi-Wan couldn't find time to enjoy that. He was always in some war-torn planet fighting with his men or conducting negotiations with planets that wanted to pick a side.

Now that the seemingly endless cycle of waking up to bombshells going off in the distance, shouting orders to the clone troops until his throat became hoarse, and remain in constant alert because anyone could be the enemy- had ended, he gained time that was never in abundance to begin with. Kenobi sat cross-legged in the dome that doubled as a defensive position if an enemy were to attack them, the flow of the Force strengthening his over-worked body. It was like a breeze that lightly crashed on his skin, cool and soothing.

He was a simple man, after being raised in the Jedi Temple in his infancy. His room was a mirror of his personality as the room only contained the necessities: a desk, a light fixture, a clock, a cot, and a small window that faced the morning sun. Obi-Wan thought of Anakin, who had…_decorated_ the garage with various pieces of droid parts and several other objects that the Jedi master didn't identify or would even like to. The Negotiator chuckled to himself as he wondered how he and Anakin managed to not kill each other when they were in the master and apprentice phase.

Then something both alarming and peculiar happened at that moment. Obi-Wan jerked and became rigid. _Where is Anakin? _His mind was alert and processed anything that seemed useful to solve the situation. _Where is Anakin_ was asked in the sense that Obi-Wan couldn't feel his brother's presence in the Force. It was like he simply vanished into thin air.

Obi-Wan raced down the stairs that connected the dome to the living room and found his brother on the couch, fixated on the news broadcast. "Anakin?" Kenobi called out. Anakin Skywalker turned his head and looked at Obi-Wan, slightly amused by his brother's alarmed expression.

"Yes, Obi-Wan?" The Chosen One replied with a raised eyebrow.

"I thought you disappeared. I couldn't sense you in the Force," Obi-Wan explained, his concern started to ebb away. Anakin merely smiled, which Obi-Wan caught. _That boy, no matter how innocent he looks, is going to give me a heart attack one day. _The Jedi master mused as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Is there something I need to know?"

Anakin elucidated with a cocky grin mixed with a hint of pride,"I've been experimenting a technique for a couple days now and judging by the way you looked like when I disappeared in the Force, I should say it worked." Obi-Wan didn't know whether to congratulate his brother or slap him upside the head for causing unwanted stress.

The mere notion of completely shielding the Force-signature of a being was unheard of, to Obi-Wan's knowledge and yet this arrogant, prideful, twenty-three year-old man managed to make it happen. Anakin did what many revered Jedi sages could not do. He made himself _vanish_.

* * *

Garm Bel Iblis admired the sleek white look Bail Organa's _Tantive __IV_ conference room had as he let his eyes roam and absorb the simplicity of the layout. "Is there anything I can do for you, sir?" Captain Reymus Antilles offered. The senator from Corellia shook his head. With a curt nod, the captain turned heel and briskly walked out of the room. Garm turned his wrist to see the time on his chrono and frowned. _Where are they? _

As if on cue, the door hissed open and a man in a smuggler outfit sauntered inside the pristine room. His narrowed eyes scanned the area, as if there was a hidden enemy who lurked in the shadows. "Glad you could make it," Iblis nonchalantly remarked.

"Garm, its been a long time," Horn Ambigene nodded towards his long-time friend.

Iblis chuckled as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Liar. The last time I saw you was when I ran into you on Mimban."

"On _friendly_ terms. Last I remembered was that you were under the logo of the Republic. And I under the Separatists," Horn snorted as he scratched the back of his head.

Garm laughed dryly and responded, "Ah, I remember now. I always thought that the trip to provide relief supplies for the troops on Mimban would prove to be a memorable one."

"Not exactly what I had in mind, though."

Iblis nodded in agreement, then promptly asked, "With that set aside, how's your daughter?"

Ambigene smiled and produced a holo that showed a young woman with an infant in her arms and Horn had his arm around the woman. A picture that defied popular belief when a Separatist general came into mind. He was a _family man_. "My wife wanted to name her after her grandmother and have her middle name after a gem. I told her that I knew the perfect one that matched her eyes. They were bright and so full of life, just like her mother."

Garm clapped his friend on the back. "What did your daughter inherit from you?"

"My red hair. I swear, she was born with wisps of red hair and my wife looked at me muttering that our little girl was going to be a feisty one," Horn went on about his daughter. "Though she's a month old, I just know that she'll be an important person one day. I can feel it."

Garm was about to open his mouth when the door opened once again. "Mon Mothma and I apologize for our absence. There were matters that required our attention shortly before we parted for this meeting. Take a seat," Bail swiftly said with Mon Mothma in tow, his arm made a motion to the conference chairs.

Respectfully, the two men each took a chair and made themselves as comfortable as possible. "To begin, I would like to thank you for dedicating the hour for this meeting," the senator from Alderaan continued.

Mon Mothma move away from Organa and took a chair beside Garm, who was across from Horn. The idea of contacting Horn still didn't sit well for the senator of Chandrila as she knew that the topic that would most likely dominate the discussion would be mobilizing for rebellion- which would lead to a civil war with them as the spear head of the movement. Nevertheless, she remained silent and opted to observe.

"If we are to declare rebellion, we all have to know the risks that come with it."

Horn raised an eyebrow and laced his fingers as they were propped up on the table. "I heard the word _if_. Are we not in this meeting to organize a rebellion?"

Bail spared the former Separatist general a look and replied, "We are considering all possibilities in combating this growing Empire."

"I need clarification on the term _possibilities, _senator," Horn countered, his face betraying no emotion.

"What I mean is that we have to fight in two fronts, the political aspect and of course the militaristic side," Bail used his movements to emphasize his words.

Ambigene held up a hand, "Look, I thought this meeting was for me to supply the troops and cells in your respected planets and launch a guerrilla strike. Not to choose certain words that could mean another thing and politically maneuver my way around this _bureaucracy_." Garm and Mon Mothma remained silent, with Garm in an amused expression and Mon Mothma's as frozen as an ice cube on Hoth.

Leave it to the loyalist senator and a no nonsense general to lead the somewhat raised tension-ridden meeting. _Is this what we really looked like when the Republic was still at war with the Confederacy? _Mon Mothma thought, suddenly intrigued by how the conversation played out. She began to understand why some planets seceded from the Republic. _There was nothing getting done and in the end of a long day, the Republic was still rotting. No matter how hard we've tried to stop it._

Mon Mothma cleared her throat after watching Bail and the general argue over the soon-to-be rebel council and its roles. "Gentlemen, please. We have to focus on what's important. Our meeting time is running short and frankly, I want to get something done."

"I agree," Garm added, as he nodded towards Mon Mothma. "We are getting nowhere with this."

The conference room maintained an uncomfortable silence until Horn snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. "And what do you propose we should do, Garm?"

Iblis leaned into his chair and placed his arms on the rests. "You still have control of the freedom fighters, am I correct?"

Ambigene remained silent for a moment before he replied, "Yes. They are scattered all over my planet."

"And the Republic never destroyed the secret droid factory hidden in the jungles, right?" Garm raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"How did you—" Horn began, his eyes wide for a fraction of a second before he slipped back into his calm façade.

"I have spies everywhere, my friend," the senator of Corellia interjected. "And it helps being a neutral planet in wartime."

The former general hesitated and then nodded. "Great! We have the first wave of troops. Now we need someone who can spur the senate and recruit new allies," Garm continued.

"I volunteer," Bail suggested, his stance remained firm.

"It's too dangerous, Bail," Mon Mothma protested. "Judging by my observations, you are one of the most respected politicians in the senate and if word gets out that you are a part of this, your reputation will be tarnished. We cannot compromise that. I'll do it."

"It's too much to ask of you. Besides, there are more than enough senators that have suspicions about your participation in all of this."

"Which puts _me _in danger. Not you," Mon countered. "Promise me that you'll be the light in the senate, the one whose values are just." Bail was mute and looked away.

Just then, the door hissed open and Captain Antilles walked into the room. "Your Highness, there's something you need to see." The captain indicated to the screen, which was bolted to the wall next to the door. Antilles strode to the conference table and keyed in a code that activated the screen.

_"…mass panic after governor Tarkin had ordered his ship to land on the protestors, who were standing on the platform he was supposed to land on. Reports show many of the protestors killed and many more were_ injured." Collective gasps were made.

Bail was the first to speak, "Thank you, captain." There was silence as everyone's gaze was fixated on the holonet. The camera panned to show the full extent of the chaos with beings leading the injured out of the carnage. "I think this changes everything. All in favor for a collaborative movement?"

Four hands were raised. "Let's not sugar-coat this, senator," Horn said, his arm still raised. "This is an alliance. The _Rebel Alliance._"

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**As promised, here is the next chapter! **

**Thank you guys for being awesome and reviewing! **

**I couldn't resist to mention a new, but well-known character in this chapter and tell me _who_ it is. Hopefully I dropped enough hints to identify the character. =)**

**May The Force Be With You ~RC-1197 **


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